The Angel and The Shadow
by Purpose
Summary: Tia is deeply heartbroken over Rocket while Sinedd is still struggling to deal with the loss of his parents alone. When they find comfort in each others arms, they form a bond of friendship. Eventually, that bond blossoms into love... Sinedd x Tia.
1. Chapter 1: Empty Hearts and Desires

The Angel and The Shadow

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Galactik Football or anything afflicted with Galactik Football.

**Show: **Galactik Football

**Pairing(s)**: Sinedd x Tia (Major), Micro-Ice x Yuki (Minor), D'jok x Mei (Minor) and Rocket x Tia (Depending on how you look at it, minor)

**Genre:** Romantic with possible doses of Angst, Tragedy, Drama, Action and Humor.

Chapter 1: Empty Hearts and Heart's Desire

It was 2:00 am at Genesis Stadium. The rooms of the Snow Kids were dead silent apart from the sound of the occasional man-made wind from the air conditioners echoing through the corridors. One Snow Kid however, was not asleep.

"_I love you Tia. I always will, forever and forever."_

Tears fell down from Tia's angelic, emerald green eyes as she heard those words. She stopped the camera to wipe her tears and tried to restrain herself from sobbing again. Ever since Rocket had been banned temporarily from the Galactik Football Cup, she hadn't seen him at all and her heart yearned to be in his arms again. As the days went by, she became more and more heartbroken. Tia loved Rocket with all her heart and the fact that he didn't make an effort to visit her saddened and depressed Tia deeply. She bit her sweet lips slightly as her attempts to restrain herself from sobbing were becoming futile. She didn't want to wake up Mei who was only across the room.

"_It wouldn't be fair to wake up Mei again. I've woken her up five times already in the past two weeks……" _thought Tia as she cuddled a plush rabbit that Rocket won for her in a fair three months ago. Mei was breathing softly as she was in her own gentle slumber, no doubt dreaming about her and D'jok's romantic walk on the beach next to Genesis's filtered sea water. _"I should probably get to sleep…The match against the Pirates is tomorrow and training starts at 7:00am"_ thought Tia, placing the camera into a drawer in a small and smooth white bedside table. Tia quickly fell asleep and her memories of her and Rocket was playing in her mind like a movie.

_

* * *

__Meanwhile on the other side of Genesis..._

Sinedd lifted the silky blanket off him and sat up. He let out a sigh as he was yet again unable to sleep. Recently, Sinedd had been unable to sleep and whenever he did get to sleep, nightmares often plagued him. Getting up and off his bed, he grabbed a black long-sleeved shirt and put it on over his plain navy vest and also put on some slightly faded black jeans. Sinedd left his room and quietly sneaked down the corridor. If Artegor caught him sneaking at this time, he'd fly off the handle again like he did last time. _"I don't care what Artegor says! I do what I want. It's always been that way…"_ thought Sinedd as those words burned through his mind.

After successfully sneaking out of the hotel, Sinedd wandered around the near empty 'districts' of Genesis and was at an area where Sinedd often went to watch the clouds or the stars depending on what time of the day it was. Sinedd laid down on the light green grass which smelt slightly like the land of the Wamba's planet and watched the stars which shined brighter then the lights of Genesis Stadium. This beautiful sight was one of the only things on Genesis that wasn't man-made.

"_Sinedd……Sinedd, honey?"_

Sinedd sat up suddenly as he heard a woman's voice. "What was that?" Sinedd asked himself as he looked around.

"_Sinedd, my son...I'm over here…Please turn around so I can see your beautiful eyes…"_

Sinedd cautiously turned around and he felt like he skipped a heartbeat. He saw a vision of his mother. She had silky raven black hair, a slim figure and a face of an angel. "Is that you……Mother?" asked Sinedd.

"_Yes Sinedd, my darling son. It is me. Your father is here too…" _said the woman as a man appeared next to her.

"_Hello son. You really have grown since you were a baby." _said the man in a slightly rough but calming voice with a small grin.

"F-father?" said Sinedd in a hopeful voice. He felt like there was something in his throat. His parents were right in front of him. Whether or not it was real, Sinedd did not care. Tears of joy crept down his dark eyes. Those tears of joy however, became tears of sorrow.

"_Sinedd, my baby!" _shouted the woman as both of them died ruthlessly and faded before his eyes.

"No! No!!" shouted Sinedd as sharp surges of pain entered his mind. "Mother! Father!" Sinedd screamed in pain as he clutched his head. The Smog was acting up and was visible around him as he yearned for his heart's desire. His own parents whom he lost to the war. Eventually, the Smog stopped acting up and Sinedd was lying on the grass with tears falling down his eyes and his hands clutching his raven black hair. _"Why……why…….?"_ Sinedd whispered as he pounded the ground a few times.

* * *

Will Tia ever see Rocket again? If not, will she ever be able to get over him? Will Sinedd be able to open his heart to someone? How will the Snow Kids fare against the Pirates? Find out on the next chapter!

Well, that is my first story that I have put on this site. I really hope you like what I've written so far and I'll be writing the next chapter very soon. Reviews and Constructive Criticism are very welcome! I would really like to know what you people think!


	2. Chapter 2: The Pirates Match

The Angel and The Shadow

Chapter 2: The Pirates Match

Tia slowly opened her teary eyes. An expression of sadness, regret and happiness was on her dainty lips. In her few hours of sleep, she dreamt of her and Rocket walking on the sandy shores of the beach while the sunset looked like it had been painted by an impressionist and the sky was the canvas. For a while, she thought her dream was a reality or at least, she wanted it to be.

As soon as she had woken up, Tia could hear a loud noise which sounded exactly like a hair dryer. Rising her head off her tear-stained pillow, she saw Mei blow-drying her long and gorgeous hair. Mei turned around and saw Tia. She turned off her hair-dryer. "Sorry, did I wake you?" asked Mei with concern. "No, you didn't. I couldn't sleep anyway." replied Tia with a slight smile. Tia turned her head to the digital clock. '6:02' was what it showed. Tia shifted her attention to the window and unknowingly had a sad frown on her lips. Mei hated seeing her best friend so sad. She despised Rocket's actions and knew it was obvious that he was the root of her sadness. Taking a dark purple velvet pillow, she hit Tia softly and giggled playfully in an attempt to cheer her up, if only for a moment. Realising what Mei was trying to do, she took one of her own pillows and playfully swung her pillow at Mei. While having a pillow fight, both kept giggling.

After about five minutes, Mei and Tia were on the floor and had gone slightly red from giggling so much while their room had feathers almost everywhere. "I'm exhausted…and we're supposed to be training in less then an hour!" said Mei as she brushed some feathers off her pink sweater. "You have to admit, that was pretty fun." said Tia with a genuine smile as she stood up. "Yeah, it was." said Mei, gently nudging Tia. Just then, someone had knocked on their door. "Come in!" replied Mei as she wondered who it was. The metal door opened and Thran was standing just behind the door. "Whoa, what happened in here? Looks like a tornado came and left some feathers." remarked Thran jokingly as he noticed the feathers. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. Anyway, what's up?" asked Mei. "We're just heading down to breakfast and was wondering of you two were coming." replied Thran as he shrugged. "Go on ahead, we'll catch up." Said Mei as Tia started getting some clothes from her cupboard. With a nod, Thran ran down the corridors to catch up with Mark and Ahito.

"Here, I'll brush your hair." Said Mei after Tia had gotten dressed quickly. Getting a hairbrush, Mei gently brushed Tia's hair as she would her own hair. "Hey, Tia." began Mei. "Hmmm?" replied Tia simply. "Are you feeling better?" asked Mei and Tia immediately knew what she meant. Tia didn't know how to answer that question. On one hand, she did feel slightly better. On the other hand, it would take a lot more for her to get over Rocket and letting go is never an easy thing to do. Tia nodded to reassure Mei.

After two minutes, Mei had placed the hairbrush down. "Thanks Mei." said Tia, standing up to give Mei a friendly hug. She wasn't saying thanks just for brushing her hair. She was saying thanks for the support that Mei had given her in the past two weeks. "No problem. We should head down to breakfast." said Mei. Both of them left their room and walked to the hotel restaurant. On the way, they caught up with Micro-Ice and Yuki who were engaged in some conversation that made no sense to anyone but themselves. "…….And then I said, that's no football, that's my lunch!" said Micro-Ice. Yuki couldn't help but laugh at Micro-Ice's joke. "Oh Micro-Ice, you're so funny!" said Yuki, giving him an innocent peck on the lips. Mei and Tia didn't really get the joke but they weren't really listening anyway. Micro-Ice and Yuki were like two innocent kids in love. 'Puppy love' was what Mei called it.

At the hotel restaurant, the Snow Kids table was among one of the only tables at this time. Micro-Ice and Yuki sat down together next to Mark and Ahito while Mei sat down next to D'Jok to give him an affectionate kiss. Tia sat down at the only empty seat between Mei and Thran. For the whole of breakfast, Tia barely said a word. Micro-Ice and Yuki were in another of their own conversations, D'Jok and Mei left to 'get some air' which was probably code for 'be alone together' while Mark and Thran had to keep waking up Ahito who kept falling asleep onto his breakfast.

* * *

Sinedd was woken up by his alarm clock. Clutching his head, he had a bad headache over what Sinedd dismissed as a 'nightmare'. Getting back to the hotel room was a blur as the Smog kept throwing small surges of pain at him. When he confronted Artegor over this, he said _"It takes time to control the side-effects of the smog and I expect you to control it soon"_ with a smirk.

Sinedd got out of bed to find that he was still fully clothed. Since he looked fine anyway, Sinedd left the room and walked past some of his teammates. They simply waved to him. Not a 'Hello' or 'Good morning', just a wave. He made his way outside the hotel to wander around Genesis. He had a Netherball match against Rocket whom he intends to hurt behind belief at midnight and later on in the day, he'd watch the Snow Kids vs. the Pirates match. Besides those two things, Sinedd didn't have much else to do. Training for their Semi-finals match against the Lightnings would start tomorrow as the match is in a few days time. The Shadows beat the Rykers 3-0; The Lightnings beat the Wambas 4-1 and the Xenons beat the Technodroids 7-1. The Snow Kids vs. Pirates was the last of the quarter-finals.

_A few hours later……_

The Snow Kids were in their locker room, all clothed in their blue and white Akillian kit. They awaited a final word from Aarch before the match, presumably to go over the starting formation. The atmosphere was lively in the locker room as the Snow Kids were eager to get on the field. The door opened as Aarch walked in and stood in front of them. "I know you're all eager to start the match but don't get overconfident. The Pirates may not be the best team in the league but they are still very good players. Unless you all play like a team, the Pirates will win this match. Today's training session was excellent and I want you all to play as well as that or even better. I want to see skill, determination and teamwork. I believe every single one of you can do that." said Aarch, motivating the team. "Let's do it!" cheered D'Jok and the Snow Kids all cheered. Mark, however, was unable to muster as much enthusiasm as the others. _"I have to tell them all about Netherball. Especially Tia. I can't keep this secret from everyone any longer…Rocket is facing Sinedd tonight and I have a feeling he'll get hurt. I'll tell them after the match and take them down there before the Netherball match starts"_ thought Mark. Micro-Ice glanced at Mark and noticed that he wasn't cheering as much as everyone else. "What's up Mark?" asked Micro-Ice with a grin. "Nothing, shortie." replied Mark with a playful nudge. "Yuki, you'll be in goal. Ahito, you'll substitute later on." said Aarch. With a final cheer, the Snow Kids proceeded to get onto the field while Aarch left the locker room to where Clamp and Dame Simbai was.

* * *

Sinedd was in a café, drinking some black coffee and was at a table by himself as usual. Sinedd usually preferred it that way. The wide-screen TV showed the two commentators, Callie Mystic and Nork giving their final thoughts before the match.

* * *

"The last of the Quarter-finals is here! The current champions, the Snow Kids, versus the Pirates! This going to be one excellent match!" shouted Callie. "Indeed, it should be a great match. However, the Snow Kids have two new players on the field. Mark and Yuki. Mark is a great midfielder though he hardly compares to Rocket and Yuki…well, she is an ok goalkeeper but is it really a good idea to put her on instead of the legendary Ahito? This match could go either way." said Nork, expressing his doubts. "I think the Snow Kids have a good chance of winning. They are the cup champions after all." said Callie. "Yeah but this isn't the team that won the last GFC. Without their captain, Rocket, will they be able to play as a team? Even if they do win this match, would they be able to defeat the Xenons? There's a chance but I'm doubtful at this stage. As for the Shadows vs. Lightnings, it will definitely be a match to look forward too." said Nork. "Here they are, the Snow Kids!" said Callie as the Snow Kids arrived onto the field. "And on the other end, the Pirates!" continued Callie. "Who will win this quarter-final match? The current champions, the Snow Kids? Or will it be the Pirates who will prevail? Stay tuned!" said Nork.

* * *

How will the Snow Kids do against the Pirates? How will they react to what Mark is going to tell them? How will Tia react to the chance of seeing Rocket again? Finally, will Sinedd win against Rocket in Netherball? Find out in chapter 3!

I apologise for not writing this chapter much sooner. I said 'very soon' in the last chapter and ended up taking about two weeks. I've been busy with school and life. Rest assured, school will be finishing in a few days then I'll have six or seven weeks of freedom. Anyway, keep those reviews coming in and chapter 3 will be released soon!


	3. Chapter 3: Epitome of Shadow

The Angel and The Shadow

Chapter 3: Epitome of Shadow

The Pirates arrived on the field a second after the Snow Kids. Stevens, their star player, and the other Pirates gave the Snow Kids a friendly handshake to show good sportsmanship before getting into position. "I wonder if they'll be so friendly when we win." Joked Micro-Ice as he grinned to Tia. "No need to get cocky, Micro-Ice." said Tia bluntly, berating his over-confidence. Micro-Ice just shrugged and quickly ran to Yuki to give her a 'good-luck' kiss. Tia glanced to her side and saw D'Jok and Mei hugging each other. Letting out a sigh to herself, she couldn't help but feel envious and depressed. After all, Mei had D'Jok while Yuki had Micro-Ice and Thran, Ahito and Mark seemed happy enough without a relationship.

"How are they, Dame Simbai?" asked Aarch, asking about their physical and mental well-being. "They are all in great condition. However, Tia seems a bit down…." replied Dame Simbai as she glanced at the computer. "Yes, I've noticed. Well, I've told her she can talk to me whenever she feels downhearted. Apart from that, the best we can do is hope that Rocket's ban is lifted soon." said Aarch. "Do you think it'll be lifted?" asked Clamp as a look of uncertainty appeared on his face. "Of course I do Clamp! He used the Breath to save Tia's life which anyone would have done if they were in Rocket's shoes!" replied Aarch. "I guess your right Aarch. Sorry for that moment of doubt." said Clamp, ending the topic.

D'Jok and Stevens stepped up to the centre. "The match is about to start! The tension is too much Nork!" said Callie with high enthusiasm. Stevens was staring into D'Jok's eyes while D'Jok was staring into Stevens' eyes or rather, his purple goggles. The ball suddenly shot up into the air like a cannon and streams of blue-white flux surrounded D'Jok as he launched himself into the air and took the ball on its way down. Stevens, who didn't even bother to jump for the ball, was running closely behind D'Jok. A Pirate attempted to slide-tackle D'Jok from the side but he leaped over him. Stevens had slide-tackled the ball away from D'Jok as soon as he jumped. "Argh…. Should've seen that coming!" moaned D'Jok while the Pirate ran down the Snow Kid's side of the field.

"Keep alert D'Jok!" ordered Aarch.

"This ones mine!" muttered Mei as she ran directly towards the Pirate. Reacting quickly, he side-stepped to avoid her tackle and attempted a shot from outside the penalty box. Yuki ran to the right and punched it away with ease.

* * *

As he watched the match, Sinedd couldn't help but feel disdain and hate for every one of the Snow Kids. Mark the wannabe version of Rocket, Ahito the lazy show-off, Thran the second-rate defender and Aarch the hypocrite who abandoned him. He especially hated D'Jok, Mei, Micro-Ice and Yuki for one reason out of many others. Because they had love. They had what Sinedd was denied of for his whole life. His parents weren't around; he had very few friends and never had a childhood love. His burning hatred momentarily flickered into a sense of admiration when he saw Tia on the big screen. As the camera focused on her dribbling up midfield, Sinedd looked into her attractive green eyes. Most people would just see determination but Sinedd saw past that shell. Behind that shell, he could see her true feelings. Emotions of loneliness, heartache and sorrow. Sinedd realised that Tia was like him and because of that, he kept gazing at her without realising what he was really feeling for this 'angel'.

* * *

Tia passed the ball to Micro-Ice through a Pirate's legs and Micro-Ice launched the ball into the air for Tia. Tia surrounded herself with the Breath and jumped into the air. She kicked the ball with immense force and the Pirates goalkeeper was unable to react quickly as it landed in the left corner of the goal. Tia allowed herself to fall down backwards which made her look like an angel to Sinedd. With her beautiful snow-like hair, shimmering eyes and elegant figure, Sinedd couldn't take her eyes off her. Shaking his head, Sinedd stopped. _"What was I doing? Was I feeling what I think I was feeling for her?"_ thought Sinedd as he felt confused about his emotions for a moment. Glancing at his watch which had the Shadows logo engraved, he realised that he had only a few hours before the Netherball arena would open and that meant only a few hours until he would face Rocket. Leaving his half-empty cup of coffee, Sinedd casually left the café without glancing back at the screen.

Tia landed back onto the field and the Snow Kids were cheering intensely while praising Tia. "Excellent goal Tia!" praised Aarch through the earpiece. "Wow! An excellent goal by Tia and an excellent assist by Micro-Ice. Let's see how the Pirates answer that one!" said Nork. "Will the Pirates be able to keep up with the Snow Kids? Not if the Snow Kids keep playing like this!" grinned Callie.

Tia was barely able to muster a smile as her teammates congratulated her. Mark was staring at Tia while she was getting into position. _"This is going to be really hard. Tia and everyone else might hate me for not telling them sooner…..but I have to tell them."_ thought Mark. "Something wrong?" asked Tia as she realised the midfielder was staring at her with a look of hesitation. "Its nothing." dismissed Mark, shaking his head.

The ball launched into the air once again and D'Jok seized it. As he ran up field, the red-haired striker realised that Stevens and the Pirates defender was going to try the same move again. _"I'm not falling for that one again….."_ thought D'Jok as he gritted his teeth. This time, he leaped over the defender with the ball and passed it in mid-air. Receiving the ball, Mark ran and weaved through two Pirates. As he exhaled, he prepared for a shot. A Pirate midfielder was about to slide-tackle the ball away when Mark ran a few steps forward. Unable to stop in time, the Pirate ended up making Mark fall to the ground and hard. "What a horrible tackle!" said Callie, shaking her head. The Pirate stood up and extended her hand to help Mark up. "Well, at least there are no hard feelings." laughed Nork. Though it was close, it wasn't a penalty as Mark was tackled from just outside the penalty box.

* * *

"How is he Simbai?" asked Aarch. "He's in ok condition. A little bruised but as long as he doesn't push himself too far or put too much weight on his leg, he'll be fine." replied Simbai.

* * *

D'Jok, the team captain, chose himself to take the free-kick. He gestured Thran to come over to him. "Thran, I've got an idea." whispered D'Jok. After whispering his plan, Thran just nodded in agreement and got into position. Three Pirate defenders were in the box while Micro-Ice and Mark were also in the box. "Looks like D'Jok is preparing for the free-kick. Will he be able to seize a second goal for the Snow Kids?" asked Callie. Gathering as much of the Breath as he could, he ran and took the shot. The ball went fiercely in the direction of the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper dived to his left and considered himself to be lucky when the ball hit the crossbar and went diagonally into the air. "Oh! What an unlucky shot by D'Jok! But…wait! What's that?" asked Callie. Thran jumped into the air and took a shot to the right side of the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper had dived again but missed as the ball slipped through his fingers. "Wow! Another excellent rebound goal. Judging by D'Jok's reaction, he purposefully missed. I guess he used that move to throw off the goalkeeper and they pulled it off perfectly." commented Nork.

"Yeah!!" shouted D'Jok and Thran as they both went crazy over the goal. "Brilliant Thran! You too D'Jok! That was a magnificent execution!" praised Aarch. Just then, a sound had appeared and it was half-time. The Snow Kids arrived to their locker room for a well-earned rest and a happy Aarch. "You played a great first-half. That applies to everyone. Just keep doing what you did back there and don't get complacent. It's not over yet. We'll keep the current formation except for one substitution." said Aarch as he turned to Yuki. "Don't worry Yuki. You did great but Ahito should get a chance to play." added Aarch. Yuki nodded and agreed to let her cousin take her place.

* * *

Sinedd came out of his hotel, adorned in the Shadows kit. Most of his teammates were already at the Netherball arena so he was going alone. Thankfully, Artegor was a bar with a business associate and was going to be there for a long time. Keeping a low profile, Sinedd walked into the secret entrance. He held a bottle of 'pure' Akillian water for the lengthy underground maze.

* * *

The second-half started and Stevens had the ball. He made a gesture to one of his teammates and ran further up field. Thran stood in front of the striker and blocked his way. Stevens passed the ball to his left and blocked Thran's way while Stevens' teammate made off with the ball. The Pirate ran into the penalty box and took a shot. Ahito ran to his right and almost slipped but caught the ball. With a sigh of relief, he booted the ball out of the area. "That was almost a horrible mistake on Ahito's part. But unlike last time, he saved the ball." commented Nork. Tia received the ball and passed it to Micro-Ice. "This will be one for the record books!" said Micro-Ice as Mark and D'Jok were running beside him. Micro-Ice side-stepped to avoid a tackle and launched the ball into the penalty box. Mark shot the ball to the other side of the box and D'Jok finished the move with a shot to the goal. The Pirates goalkeeper dived and barely caught it in time.

* * *

"Unlucky you three! That was still a good move and I want you to keep playing with that amount of aggressiveness!" ordered Aarch.

* * *

After a long walk, Sinedd made it to the Netherball arena. His teammates and a few other GFC players were there, watching the match. Sinedd just smirked and proceeded to the Netherball sphere for a warm-up. Around Sinedd were four scrap metal walls with cracks and dents from previous matches. Sinedd was performing kick-ups and kicking the ball around. Even without activating the smog, Sinedd's football skills were too great to be underestimated. More and more of the GFC players were watching Sinedd as the Snow Kids vs. Pirates match was nearing an end.

* * *

A few seconds was left. Stevens ran up towards the Snow Kids goal with the ball. "Even though it'll be nothing more then a consolation goal, will Stevens score a goal and turn the score to 2-1?" asked Callie. Stevens leaped over Thran as he attempted to slide-tackle and took a shot. Ahito leaped acrobatically and caught the ball as he jumped onto the crossbar. The buzzer for the end of the match sounded and the arena had exploded into cheers. "Wow!! The Snow Kids earned themselves a place in the Semi-Finals against the dreaded Xenons! Will they be able to overcome the team that are among the favorites to win the GFC? We'll see. Be sure to catch the Shadows vs. Lightnings in a few days time, it'll promise to be an excellent match! This is Callie Mystic." said Callie. "And this is Nork signing off" added Nork. The young Snow Kids proceeded to their locker room and couldn't contain their excitement over their victory. Mark sighed heavily as he realised that now is the time he'd have to tell them.

Aarch casually walked into the locker room with a content look on his face. "That was a great victory but I have some news about Rocket's ban." said Aarch. The Snow Kids immediately became silent and sat down to hear what the verdict was. Tia was the most anxious and nervous of the Snow Kids. She might finally be reunited with Rocket. "It has been finalised……Rocket's ban has been lifted! Effective immediately, Rocket can start playing again!" said Aarch and the Snow Kids bursted once again into cheers. Apart from Mark that is. "Er...coach?" began Mark. "What is it, Mark?" asked Aarch, giving him his attention. "Actually, I want everyone to hear this….." added Mark. Aarch had quieted everyone down so that they could hear what Mark had to say. "For these past few days, I have known of Rocket's whereabouts." said Mark. "What?!" said D'Jok suddenly. "You've known where Rocket has been for these past few days and you didn't even tell us?!" added D'Jok as he stood up and grabbed Mark by the collar.

"Let him go, D'Jok!" exclaimed Mei as Thran, Micro-Ice and Ahito had to separate D'Jok who finally let go of Mark's collar. "Calm down D'Jok! Now Mark, I'm disappointed that you didn't tell any of us earlier. Please, carry on." said Aarch. "Rocket has been playing this thing called Netherball. It's like a one-on-one football match in a small sphere. No coaches, no teammates and no rules." said Mark. "Is it rough?" asked Thran. "Yeah, its one of the roughest sports I've ever seen. People get hurt all the time. I saw Woowamboo get hurt real bad." replied Mark as a flashback of Woowamboo's leg getting broken painfully. "That explains why Woowamboo was absent from the match against the Lightnings." commented Aarch. "All matches start at midnight in an underground arena that none of you would have been in. Tonight, Rocket is facing Sinedd and I have a feeling that Rocket is going to get hurt badly." said Mark as he shuddered slightly. "I want you to lead the team to this Netherball." said Aarch as he left the room. "It's a long journey so I'll take you all there as soon as your ready." said Mark.

To Mark's dismay, Tia had bursted into tears and Mei had took her out of the locker rooms but not before giving Mark a glare. "Look, I'm sorry guys. Please forgive me." pleaded Mark and to his surprise, the team had appeared to forgive him and started getting dressed quickly. Outside the locker room, Mei was giving Tia a shoulder to cry on. "I can't believe Rocket has been on Genesis all this time! This must mean he doesn't want to see me…." sobbed Tia. "You know that's not true. I bet he's dying to see you. Lets get changed and we'll be able to see Rocket soon enough." said Mei. Tia nodded and they both went back into the locker room to get changed.

* * *

Sinedd stepped out of the sphere and relaxed as it was less then an hour before the match was starting. Already, the arena was packed with GFC players who were divided over who to support. Half of the players were supporting Sinedd while the other half was supporting the current Netherball champion, Rocket. Rocket had already arrived and Sinedd was anxious to crush him. When Rocket had challenged him, Sinedd could not wait to face him. Rocket was on the other side of the arena and they both kept exchanging glares which increased the tension even more.

* * *

The young Akillian players were at the entrance. "It's a long journey so be prepared." advised Mark as they started their way through the maze. Throughout the long walk, none of them had said a word. Early on, Micro-Ice had attempted to cheer up the atmosphere with a few jokes but none of them were in the mood. After almost an hour, the Snow Kids were at the door and could see the metallic sphere along with the huge crowd of GFC players and spectators. "The match is already beginning to start!" said D'Jok. They all tried to make their way through the crowd but it would take a while to get to the front.

* * *

Sinedd and Rocket entered the sphere and stood facing each other as they waited for the clock to count down to start the match. "It was a mistake to challenge me Rocket." glared Sinedd. "I like mistakes." smirked Rocket, glaring back. "Oh no……" whispered Tia. "Guys, we have to stop the match!" said Mei. "No can do ladies and gents." said the robot announcer as a couple of robots blocked the way to the sphere's entrance and the controls to the sphere. D'Jok gritted his teeth as he realised that nothing could be done now. _"Come on Rocket…..Get out of there."_ thought D'Jok.

The ball appeared and the match started. Sinedd and Rocket both tried to take the ball but it ended up between Sinedd's right leg and Rocket's left leg. "I won't hold back if you won't." taunted Rocket with a smirk. Sinedd jumped and swung his left leg in an attempt to get the ball but Rocket acted quickly and took it. Getting back to his side, Rocket already surrounded himself with the Breath. "No use toying around." smirked Rocket. Also smirking, Sinedd covered himself with the Smog. The Shadows striker blocked Rocket's way. Rocket's attempt to weave past Sinedd failed as the black-haired Shadow countered with a sweep-kick. Rocket was hit but managed to balance himself as his arm stopped him from hitting his head against the hard wall.

Sinedd took the ball to his half and took a shot. Before the ball could go through the hole, Rocket used his leg to block the shot. "You'll have to do better then that my friend." smirked Rocket. Rocket's smirk was short-lived as Sinedd slide-tackled Rocket. Rocket landed on the metallic ground painfully. Just the look of pain on Rocket's face made it painful for Tia to watch. Sinedd lazily kicked the ball into the hole. "Goooooooo Sinedd!!" said the robot announcer as the crowd cheered. "Micro-Ice, there's something different about Sinedd…" said D'Jok. "What, you mean the fact that he's not saying any of his rubbish taunts?" Joked Micro-Ice. D'Jok just shook his head. _"That look in his eye….it's like he's going to kill Rocket…."_ thought D'Jok.

"Come on Rocket! Get up." snickered Sinedd. Rocket dragged himself up. Most of the pain went away but Rocket's head was still throbbing slightly. "Six minutes remaining." said a robotic voice. _"Six minutes of pain……"_ thought Sinedd as an evil grin appeared on his face. The ball appeared once again and this time, Rocket took the ball before Sinedd could. Rocket turned his back to Sinedd to stop Sinedd from getting the ball. With the blink of an eye, Sinedd appeared next to Rocket. Rocket could practically smell the Smog. Sinedd lunged his elbow into Rocket's stomach which winded Rocket. "Well well Rocket. Not so confident now are we?" said Sinedd as he took the ball. "Fuck you…" muttered Rocket as he started coughing. Sinedd was about to take another shot when Rocket stood up and tried to sweep-kick the ball. Sinedd jumped with the ball between his feet to avoid the tackle and kicked the ball onto the left wall for a rebound shot. To his dismay, the ball just missed the hole.

* * *

"We don't have to watch this, Tia. We can go if you want." said Mei. "No. I have to talk to him." said Tia with a stern nod.

* * *

"Four minutes left." said the robotic voice. Rocket had the ball after acrobatically stealing it from Sinedd. Sinedd attempted to tackle Rocket but the former Snow Kids captain sidestepped and scored a goal. "Gooooooo Rocket!" shouted the robot announcer and the crowd supporting Rocket cheered. "That was luck!" remarked Sinedd. "No. That's skill." said Rocket with a mischievous grin. The ball appeared between the two deadly strikers and they both violently tried to take the ball with their legs. Rocket swung his right leg to try and take a shot but barely missed. Sinedd swung his leg in an apparent attempt to get the ball and hit Rocket's upper right leg. "Argh!!" shouted Rocket in pain. The ball was still in the air and Sinedd headed the ball but Rocket stopped the ball with his chest and backed away. Sinedd backed away to his side of the sphere and ran at Rocket. He jumped and swooped down with his right foot out in the same way that he tackled Micro-Ice two years ago which made the Snow Kids joker cringe. Rocket had front-flipped and landed even more painfully on his back. Rocket's scream of pain was even worse then when he suffered Sinedd's last tackle.

Sinedd flicked the ball and it was at the same height as his head. Heading the ball into the hole, the match was over and Sinedd laughed as he saw the Snow Kid lying on the floor in pain. "Who's the champion now Rocket?" said Sinedd as he left Rocket in the sphere. Sinedd was immediately met with congratulations and cheers while Rocket was carried out by a Wambas players and a Pirates player who still supported Rocket. The Snow Kids pushed past Sinedd's group of supporters and stood in front of their former teammate. "Look who's here. The Snow Kids. I destroyed your beloved captain didn't I?" said Sinedd as he smirked. "Sinedd, you bastard!" growled D'Jok as he clenched his fists. "How could you do that!" said Yuki. "Shut it, you ugly bitch. I can't believe the Snow Kids actually let in a second-rate goalkeeper like you." remarked Sinedd. "Hey, leave my girlfriend alone!" said Micro-Ice, shoving Sinedd. "Yeah, don't talk about my cousin like that!" added Thran and Ahito who until now was asleep. "Look who it is. Shorty. Shortbread the Shorty." insulted Sinedd as he turned to Micro-Ice. "Why don't you go back to your Shadows team and lose to us again like you did in the last GFC?" said Mei. "Oh, here is the spoilt brat. Why don't you fuck off and go do another one of your garbage commercials?" remarked Sinedd. "That's it!" growled D'Jok and was about to punch Sinedd when someone got in the way and stopped the fight.

"Alright, that's enough!" said a familiar voice. It was the famous Lightnings star striker, Warren. "Snow Kids, you shouldn't retaliate. What are you even doing here? It's unfortunate that Rocket has been hurt very seriously but there's no need for this unnecessary fight." continued Warren. "But Warr-!" began Micro-Ice but was cut off by D'Jok. "And you Sinedd. I can't believe you'd do something like this! What has gotten into you? It's that Smog isn't it?" said Warren. "Whatever Warren. I'll be waiting for our match. Us Shadows will crush you." said Sinedd before he walked past them. "I hate you!!" cried Tia suddenly. Sinedd turned around and saw the 'angel' crying before him. Tia's eyes were teary and full of hate. As much as he wanted to, Sinedd could not bring himself to hit Tia or insult her. Sinedd just turned away and walked off again. Sinedd wanted to walk off and relax at a place where he could get some quiet. He didn't quite feel like celebrating with his supporters. At least, not yet.

Tia ran over to Rocket who was being carried away by his supporters. "Rocket!" said Tia. "Go away." said Rocket bluntly before leaving and those words broke Tia's heart. Those words made her feel like a knife was driven into her heart. Tia ran away and the Snow Kids couldn't keep up with her as she lost herself in the crowd. She had to get out of there. She had to leave the arena and cry to herself in a place where she could be alone.

* * *

Where will Sinedd go? Where will Tia go? Will Rocket be able to heal and find out about the verdict of his ban? How will the Shadows do against the Lightnings? Chapter 4, coming soon!

Chapter 3 is finally here. Took me over two or three weeks to write it. I've been busy relaxing because of my summer holiday. Been going out with my friends and been playing on my Xbox 360 where I will soon get Xbox live so I can play and chat to my friends over Xbox Live. I've been writing Chapter 3 over the span of over two weeks at a very casual rate but I think it was worth it. I hope you people like this chapter. Chapter 4 will be coming soon! By the way, I will be writing a new Galactik Football story soon as well. I have quite a few ideas in my mind and hopefully, you will see my new story!


	4. Chapter 4: Unlikely Friends

The Angel and The Shadow

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Galactik Football or anything afflicted with Galactik Football. However, I do own my OC character.

Chapter 4: Unlikely Friends

Sinedd's supporters kept cheering for Sinedd as they carried him out of the Netherball arena like some sort of king. Admittedly, Sinedd rather liked being treated like a champion but he still wanted to be alone. "You can let me go now." said Sinedd as he jumped off his supporters. "We should celebrate your victory, man!" suggested a supporter. "No, you can go now. I've got better things to do." said Sinedd. His supporters grumbled and left in different directions. _"Nothing beats being alone….especially when you've been alone your whole live…."_ thought Sinedd. The grim Sinedd was never much of a party person and he was used to that loneliness. As much as he hated it, Sinedd couldn't let go of this 'habit' of being a lone wolf or a one-man army. This 'shield' Sinedd uses to push everyone away was so that he wouldn't get close to anyone or get hurt.

The supporters were now all gone and apart from Sinedd, the district he was in was empty like it always was at a time as late as this, not counting the cleaning droids. With his hands in his pockets, Sinedd started walking with his head down. He was going to walk to his place where he could think about anything without interruptions. Sinedd always pondered about many things. Life, his parents, what is the meaning of his life and so on.

* * *

For the past while, Tia kept running like the devil was after her. She didn't know what district of Genesis she was in and she didn't care. All she wanted to do was find a place to cry on her own. She didn't want to go back to the hotel so any private place would do. Suddenly, an idea appeared in her mind and she started running in a set direction rather then in random directions.

* * *

"You guys, I'm worried about Tia." said Mei as she placed her head on D'Jok's chest. "We've been wandering around the districts for a while now and we still haven't seen her." said Thran. "I hope she's ok….." said Yuki worryingly. _"Rocket…..how could you….."_ muttered D'Jok through gritted teeth. "We should go back to the hotel. Maybe she's there?" suggested Micro-Ice. "Maybe. What are we going to tell Aarch?" asked Thran. "Maybe he's asleep and won't notice?" replied Micro-Ice with his signature grin. "Now is not the time for jokes, Micro-Ice!" scolded Mei as she shot a glare at Micro-Ice. "Alright, alright I'm sorry." muttered the joker as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Micro-Ice was always a bit afraid of being at the wrong end of Mei's glares. "I agree with Micro-Ice. About us going back to the hotel. She's probably in her room and if she's not then there's nothing else we can do." sighed D'Jok and they turned back in the direction to their hotel. Mark was racked with guilt. He couldn't help but feel that he was the one to blame. Yuki had seen the midfielders face so full of ruefulness. Knowing why he felt like that, she thought she should comfort him. "Mark, it isn't your fault. Rocket is the one at fault." said Yuki in an attempt to console him. "I know but I can't stop feeling like it's partly my fault too. I mean maybe I should've told everyone sooner." sighed Mark. Though Yuki wanted to talk to him more about it, she could see that he wasn't in the mood like everyone else.

* * *

After a short walk, Sinedd was finally at his area, his place where he could relax alone, a place he could call his own. Sinedd could feel the wind blowing lightly against his dark hair and the soft texture of the grass against his fingertips. The stars that were light-years away were shining like a skyline. Near Sinedd was a huge pond that reflected this beautiful scene like a mirror. Even the fishes swimming in the pond seemed to be magnificent. For once in his life, Sinedd could relax and forget about his life which he deemed worthless, even if only for a moment.

* * *

Tia was now at a forest or huge garden of some kind where her and Rocket spent their last date together before he was banned from the GFC. Sitting down beside a tree, she finally let her tears out. Before, she was just holding some of them in. Right now, she felt like dying. Without Rocket, she felt like half of her was lost and dead. Tia's crystal tears fell down her rosy cheeks and she felt lonelier then ever. Even before she fell in love with Rocket, at least she had her governess, Stella. But now, she's lost Rocket, her parents were far away on a diplomatic mission and Stella was at her home far away. _"Please wake up…..I hope this is a n-nightmare……This hurts so much…. " _whispered Tia through her sobs. Eventually, she calmed down a bit and walked around to find herself next to a huge pond. In the distance, she could see a figure sitting down. It was too dark to see who the person was but for some reason, seemed vaguely familiar. Curiosity got the better of her so she decided to get closer.

* * *

"_Sinedd? Sinedd, over here."_

Sinedd turned to see a vision of his mother and father again. "No….not again….." said Sinedd as he clutched his head.

"_Sinedd, it's your parents. What's the matter?" _asked the vision of his father.

"Get away from me! Leave me alone! Stop messing with my head!" shouted Sinedd as he kept backing away like he was being hunted.

"_Sinedd, it's us! We're your parents and you're our baby! Come closer, I want to touch your soft, black hair…." _said the vision of his mother.

"My parents died a long time ago! Leave me alone and stop messing with my head!" shouted Sinedd as tears of sorrow and anger crept down his face. The visions screamed in pain and died ruthlessly in front of Sinedd.

"_Sinedd!! My son!!" screamed the visions before they faded. _

"Argh!! No!! Please stop!!" screamed Sinedd as his mind felt surges of pain twice as painful as before. Sinedd fell to the ground and kept screaming from the top of his lungs. The smog surrounded him and Sinedd could hear a screech coming from the smog which sounded like his parent's screams.

Tia soon saw Sinedd on the ground and in immense pain. Her instincts made her run to him and try to help. "Sinedd?! Sinedd?!" asked Tia as she placed her arms around him and kept shaking him. A tear had crept down her face and landed on Sinedd without either of them noticing. The smog had stopped quickly and disappeared. The surges of pain retracted and Sinedd's screams had stopped for now. Sinedd's eyes slowly opened and saw Tia's green eyes as she saw his violet eyes. _"An angel?" _was Sinedd's first thoughts. He then realised that it was Tia. "Tia?" asked Sinedd. Though she helped him, Tia still couldn't let go of the fact that Sinedd was the one who wounded Rocket. She let go of Sinedd immediately and sat down next to Sinedd but averted her eyes. "Why did you help me?" asked Sinedd as he sat up. "You were in pain. I just…had to help. I still don't forgive you for earlier." replied Tia. "I don't expect you to forgive me for that. Why don't you just go back to your friends and leave me alone!" snapped Sinedd. "Fine I will! Why are you being like this?" asked Tia. "Why? Why? It's because I'm a lone wolf. For the whole of my life, I've always been alone and I've always been let down by people. I push people away so that no-one can hurt me. I don't have parents, I don't have friends and I sure as hell don't have anyone to love!" replied Sinedd. At that moment, Tia realised that Sinedd was like Tia. Never did she realise that the dark haired striker whom she and her teammates hated was a lot like her. She realised that Sinedd was a bully because he feared getting close to someone then losing them like his parents. Tia's opinion of Sinedd changed completely within a few hours.

"_I'll be your friend."_ whispered Tia. "Really? But why?" asked a surprised Sinedd. "Because…I realised that you are a lot like me. I used to be lonely too. My parents were away so much that I was practically raised by people my parents hired, before the Snow Kids, I didn't have many friends and before Rocket, I never loved someone before. Now, I feel lonely again because my parents are far away and I've lost the one I love so I know how you feel but you shouldn't push everyone away because it isn't good to be lonely." advised Tia. "It's because of my parents. I still haven't gotten over their deaths. Sometimes, I wish I died with them. At least then I won't be alone in this life." lamented Sinedd. "It'll take time to get over your parents deaths. Sometimes, people never get over it but you don't have to. You just need to know that it isn't your fault and stop letting it take over your life. With good friends, it'll make things easier. If you want, I'll be your first friend." said Tia with a genuine smile. "Sure. That'll be great." said Sinedd and for the first time in years, he had a smile that wasn't cynical. "I bet your friends won't be so pleased though." commented Sinedd. "If you stop being such a bully or a pessimist and show them the true you then they'll like you." said Tia and she gave him a friendly hug. The pessimistic Sinedd couldn't help but blush slightly. _"Maybe he can help me get over Rocket…maybe…" _thought Tia as he hugged Sinedd.

* * *

"Well?" asked D'Jok. "Aarch is sound asleep. Like Ahito here" said Thran as he nudged Ahito and both him and Micro-Ice grinned. Just then, Mei had got back to the group. "Tia's not in our room." said Mei. "There's nothing we can do now. We'll just have to get to sleep and hope that she'll be back tomorrow." said D'Jok and they all walked back to their rooms.

* * *

"It's getting late, I should be heading back." said Tia after their long conversation. "Same. Maybe we could go out sometime and do whatever? As friends." asked Sinedd. "Yeah, that'd be great. How about sometime tommorrow? We'll meet somewhere in the Northern District, around nighttime." yawned Tia and before Sinedd knew it, she had collapsed because of tiredness, exhaustion and stress. "Tia? Tia?" asked Sinedd as he shook her. No answer. All he could hear from her was Tia's soft breathing. Sinedd carried Tia in his arms and was going to take her back to her hotel. As he carried her, Sinedd kept glancing at her pure, innocent face. They were now friends but Sinedd's feelings for her were growing already. Maybe Tia felt the same way. Maybe. Hopefully. Sinedd was already outside the hotel by the time he detracted from his thoughts. Entering the grand hotel, he asked the receptionist what floor the Snow Kids were staying on. Sinedd walked into the elevator and pressed a button. As the door closed, Sinedd took another look at Tia. Still sound asleep. Elevator music was playing and Sinedd just smirked. No matter what elevator he was in, the music playing in the elevator always seemed to be cheesy. The doors slid open after a quick few seconds and Sinedd walked out to find several doors. The Snow Kids had this floor to themselves so it made it easier to find Tia's room though only slightly.

Sinedd reached into Tia's pocket for a key card or something that would give Sinedd an idea to what her hotel room number was. He found a key card that had the room number clearly shown. Careful as to not wake up anyone, Sinedd crept to Tia's room and put the key card into a small device next to the door. The door opened silently and Sinedd looked in. On one side of the room was Tia's bed; on the other side was Mei who seemed to be snoozing. Sinedd quietly but hurriedly placed Tia onto her bed and tucked her blanket over her and left as quickly as he came in. _"Sinedd? What was he doing with Tia?"_ thought Mei who was in actual fact, not asleep. _"He's clearly up to no good…why was Tia with a guy like him?"_ mused Mei. Deciding to question Tia about it tomorrow, Mei adjusted her pillow and dozed off.

* * *

_The next day……_

Sinedd's alarm had rung and woke up the dozing striker. Unexpectedly, Sinedd woke up with a slight smile on his face. After getting dressed, Sinedd glanced at his clock to see that training for the upcoming Shadows vs. Lightnings match was in an hour. The striker had left his room and was starting to make his way down to breakfast but was halted as a hand was on his shoulder. Sinedd turned to see one of his teammates. "What?" asked Sinedd. The Shadows teammate replied by pointing down the corridor to Artegor's office before leaving him to it. _"What does he want with me?"_ thought Sinedd. He couldn't see any reason why Artegor would want to talk to him right now. Their relationship was nothing more then a player to coach relationship in Sinedd's opinion. As long as Sinedd scored goals, Artegor didn't care much about his wellbeing and Sinedd wasn't too fond of the former player. The word 'antipathetic' would probably describe their relationship.

Walking casually to Artegor's office, he knocked and awaited a reply. "Come in." said a voice and Sinedd opened the door. Sinedd could see Artegor, swaying lightly in his chair while he could someone else standing next to Artegor. A complete stranger. "What do you want?" glared Sinedd as he walked in. He then remembered what Tia said to him and retracted his glare to a casual gaze. "Sinedd. I want you to meet our new striker and your new teammate, Nemanja." introduced Artegor and Sinedd immediately studied him. Nemanja looked like he was Sinedd's age; he had very dark brown hair of medium length with a fringe that almost reached his eyes. His eyes were like a pair of hazel-blue ice. Behind those eyes, Sinedd could see many things. He could see depression, anger, hate and sorrow but at the same time, Sinedd could see calmness. Nemanja seemed like the kind of person who had a few scars from his past, mentally and physically. Nemanja had an athletic build which meant he obviously took care of himself. In a way, Nemanja was similar to Sinedd. Both of them extended their arms and shook each others hand. "Nemanja was the business associate I was meeting yesterday. His skills are excellent and I believe you two will get along fine on and off the pitch. Both of you _better _get along." said Artegor. No matter what he was saying, there was always bound to be some cynicalness in his words.

"Anything else?" asked Sinedd. "Yes…there is one last thing which is related to my first point." answered Artegor as he placed a box on his desk. "Part of the reason why Nemanja is now on our team is because one of our players, Nilla left. She had to leave because of a…private matter. As you know, that means I've had to choose our new captain. And I chose you." said Artegor and Sinedd was overwhelmed. Sinedd and Artegor never seemed to be fond of each other ever since Sinedd's defection to the Shadows and Artegor was giving him the role of the Shadows captain. "Thanks. But why?" asked Sinedd as he couldn't help but wonder why. "You deserve it. Make me proud and lead the team to victory." replied Artegor with a seemingly genuine slight smile. As he said those words, his eyes were shining behind his sunglasses. _"Maybe there's an ulterior motive...but maybe there isn't…"_ mused Sinedd and was slightly cautious about this. Sinedd opened the box and took out a Shadows kit which looked exactly like his old one but instead of black and green, it was black and red with the number 11 shown on the right in red. It clearly signified that Sinedd was the captain and he just smiled. Nemanja took out another kit from the box which had the number 10 on it. "Both of you can get out now. I'm extremely busy." said Artegor, dismissing them and they both left in a hurry. "I think we'll get along just fine." said Nemanja and Sinedd nodded in agreement. Sinedd had a good feeling about Nemanja and he suddenly got happier. He now had two friends and Sinedd's outlook on life was on the verge of changing. _"My life seems to be getting better…I'm still going to be cautious though…"_ thought Sinedd. At the back of his mind, Sinedd's fear of getting close to someone then losing them was still there. The two strikers left for breakfast. _"My life is starting to change….because of her…" _thought Sinedd. It seemed like Tia was the reason his life was starting to become different. He couldn't help but thank her. The angel. _His_ Angel.

* * *

Artegor turned his chair to the huge window with a view of Genesis. His 'genuine' smile turned into an evil grin. _"Everything is going to plan so far…."_ thought Artegor.

* * *

Mei's alarm had rung and as she woke up, she was introduced to a cold breeze of wind. The glamorous defender turned to see Tia already awake on the balcony. She was rather surprised to see Tia awake before her as Mei usually woke up before Tia to get ready for the day early. "_Now's a good time to ask Tia about Sinedd."_ thought Mei as she lifted the blanket off her. "Hi Tia." said Mei. She didn't answer. "Tia?" repeated Mei and Tia turned around. "Oh, sorry…I was daydreaming. Anyway, what is it?" asked Tia. "Tia…what were you doing with Sinedd yesterday?" asked Mei, getting straight to the point. "How did you know about that?" asked Tia as she narrowed her eyes. "I saw Sinedd carrying you into our room. Tia, why are you associating with a guy like him? You know he's nothing but trouble!" exclaimed Mei. "He's changed, Mei! Yesterday, I ran off somewhere and I saw him. Sinedd was being hurt badly by the Smog and I couldn't just leave him!" pleaded Tia. _"I wish you had…."_ muttered Mei. "Sinedd has changed. Me and him, we're friends. The real Sinedd isn't a bully or mean. He's just misunderstood and his life isn't a good one." said Tia, ignoring Mei's last comment. "Did you forget what Sinedd did yesterday? He injured Rocket badly and insulted us, _your _friends!" commented Mei. "For the last time, Sinedd has changed. Deep down, he's a…sweet person. Please believe me, we're best friends. If you won't take my word for it, you can go and see for yourself. Please." pleaded Tia. "Alright, I'll see if he really has changed." sighed Mei. "But I don't think everyone else will believe you. Especially D'Jok." added Mei. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." replied Tia and they both went back inside.

* * *

Sinedd and Nemanja returned to the training room after breakfast for training. It seemed as though they were rather early as no-one was there yet. "Hey Nemanja." began Sinedd. "Yeah?" he replied. "Have you played for a team in the GFC?" asked Sinedd. "No. My planet used to have a team before the Civil War a few years ago. I was too young to be considered for the Canderonion team at the time and just before I was able to try-out for the team, the Civil War happened. Some political debate got out of hand and before I knew it, regions of Canderon were at war. Men and woman of all ages were drafted into the war. That war opened my eyes to what life truly was. I saw people get killed everyday. Soldiers, civilians, it never mattered. The Civil War took anyone. Many of my friends died near the end of the war." said Nemanja. "Your friends died?" said Sinedd. "Yeah. Our squad were among many to attack the enemy base. The mission meant that had we succeeded, we were certain to win the war and restore stability to Canderon. We did succeed, barely. My friends, my comrades, they died as the last wave of enemies remained. Ever since that mission, I was never quite the same. I still bore scars from my past….If only politics wasn't so imperfect, the war would never have happened." lamented Nemanja. Sinedd just stood there, stunned. He just learned that Nemanja was even more like him. He too carried scars; he too lost someone in a war. Before they could say anything more, Artegor arrived into the room along with the Shadows. "Time to start training. All of you, warm up first. Then, we'll go over formations we will use against the Lightnings." said Artegor. As Nemanja lifted a barbell, he realised just how much Artegor Nexus resembled his old general. _"Strict, to the point and doesn't settle for second-best. Just like the general…"_ reminisced Nemanja. Though the war was a bad memory for him, there were a few good things that Nemanja took from that war.

* * *

Tia and Mei wandered around and saw that most of the Snow Kids were still asleep. Apart from one person. They entered the training room to find D'Jok punching a punch bag as hard as he could and was sweating heavily. He still had that angry look from yesterday but this time, it wasn't just Rocket he was angry about. _"Sinedd….he'll pay for what he said….."_ muttered D'Jok. _"Still think D'Jok will forgive this 'new' Sinedd?"_ whispered Mei. Mei and Tia just left the room. They knew D'Jok long enough to know that it was never a good idea to speak to him when his eyes were burning full of hatred like that. "I said I'd meet Sinedd later tonight. That's when you'll see how he's changed." said Tia and Mei just sighed but nodded. She didn't want to argue with her best friend, especially at a time as early as this. Plus, it'd be interesting if he really did change.

* * *

How will react Mei react to the true Sinedd? What's next for Sinedd and Tia? Is there really an ulterior motive to Artegor giving Sinedd the role of Captain? Can Sinedd really trust Nemanja? Will the Shadows be ready for the Lightnings? Finally, how long will it be until the Snow Kids find out about Sinedd and Tia's friendship? Find out in Chapter 5, coming soon!

I really like this chapter. It is probably my favorite chapter at the moment because Sinedd always had a hard life. He doesn't deserve this pain in his life. I always like Sinedd x Tia because they are very similar to each other. I would compare this to be similar to Sasuke x Sakura from Naruto. About my new story that I mentioned in the last chapter, I've got two ideas. One would be about a young man who joins the Pirates and would be about the Pirates Adventures as he travels with Sonny Blackbones' crew. He would also be involved in the events that happened to the Pirates like when Sonny was captured by Bleylock or when the Pirates rescued Tia's parents. I think it's a great idea as most of the Pirates are relatively minor characters. Another idea of mine would be about Nemanja in the Canderon Civil War. It would give off some background information about him and the war. It would involve Technoid and the Pirates too. I'm unsure about which one to write or if I should write both of them. If I write both of them, which one would I write first? Another possible idea would focus on Nemanja as he joins the Shadows during the events of Season 2 and he would be involved in the events like the All-Stars match, Netherball and so on. Please help me decide which story idea I should go through with and also, please tell me what you think about this chapter and my OC character.


	5. Chapter 5: A Night To Remember

The Angel and The Shadow

Chapter 5: A Night To Remember

After a few hours of brutal training, Sinedd and Nemanja stepped out of their training sphere and sat down. Sinedd was sweating profusely and breathing arduously while Nemanja barely looked like he had endured the same brutal training. Sinedd guessed that since Nemanja was dodging bombs, hiking through miles of grasslands and manning turrets from gunships for years, a few hours of training wasn't going to tire out the ex-soldier. However, a Galactik Football match can tire out even the fittest of players. Artegor had made his Shadows train harder as the Lightnings were a team to be feared, especially when led by the legendary Warren. Of course, Artegor feared no-one and was adamant that winning was more then in their grasp. The Shadows defence were often their weakness but with his defence tougher then before, Nemanja's style of play and his two strikers which together formed a deadly partnership, Artegor's arrogance grew. He relished for revenge against Aarch's Snow Kids after losing last years GFC and he did not come this far to lose. "Training is over. Prepare for tomorrows match. Just remember, I do _not _expect us to lose." hissed Artegor before leaving his players.

Wiping his sweat off with a towel, Sinedd glanced at Nemanja. He always seemed to be a serious and stoic person. Whether or not Nemanja was different before the war, he didn't know. Sinedd knew Nemanja believed that dwelling in the past is futile, as he told him before but he always seemed to be deep in thought about something. "Nemanja." said Sinedd and the war veteran broke away from his thoughts. "Yeah?" replied Nemanja, lying back against the wall. "I'm going out to meet a friend soon. You can come too if you want." asked Sinedd. "A friend? Is it the girl you told me about? Tia?" asked Nemanja, taking a sip from his dark red bottle. "Yeah. She'll probably bring a friend so you should come. It might be fun." nudged Sinedd and Nemanja stood up. "Sure. What time?" asked Nemanja and Sinedd glanced at his watch. "An hour or two to go." replied Sinedd. Nemanja just nodded and left the room, leaving Sinedd to cool down on his own. _"Damn Artegor…." _smirked Sinedd as he cooled down.

* * *

Tia and Mei were in their room, getting ready to go out. Mei was applying her make-up while Tia rummaged through her wardrobe. "I don't know what to wear……" said Tia. Her wardrobe was full of casual clothing and she wanted to wear something different. "How about that red dress? It'll probably impress that idiot, Sinedd." suggested Mei as she applied a reddish-pink lipstick. "I don't know….We're just friends and the dress reminds me too much of Rocket." sighed Tia. Mei turned to Tia and knew that she had some feelings for him despite her claiming that they were just friends because Tia didn't usually care very much about her wardrobe but Sinedd changed that. The glamorous defender stood up after applying mascara and looked carefully through her wardrobe. "Let's see….no….no way…..hm, maybe..." muttered Mei as she looked through her wardrobe filled with the latest fashions from top designers. "What are you doing Mei?" asked Tia as she peered over to Mei. Mei didn't answer as she focused on looking through her outfits for one that would fit Tia. When it came to fashion, Mei almost put as much concentration into fashion as she did into football. After minutes of consideration, Mei took out a cherry blossom pink dress that was both flattering and modest. "Wow! It's so cute!" said Tia, admiring the dress. "It doesn't really suit me but it would definitely suit you so you can have it." offered Mei with a smile. Tia hugged Mei tightly and took the dress. "I'm sure Sinedd will like it." said Mei as she rolled her eyes. Tia ignored the fact that Mei had rolled her eyes and tried the dress on. Though it wasn't what Tia normally wore, the dress still looked even more stunning on Tia. "Wow! You look hot! Almost as hot as me." grinned Mei and they both laughed. "We've got about an hour left. We should do your hair next." suggested Mei.

* * *

Sinedd came out of the bathroom half-dressed with a wet towel around his broad shoulders. "Nemanja?" said Sinedd as he glanced around the room. Nemanja had moved into Sinedd's hotel room as the other rooms on the floor were fully occupied by the other Shadows. "Nemanja?" repeated Sinedd. He wasn't there. As Sinedd took the towel off his toned body, he saw some kind of book that was on Nemanja's bedside table. The front cover was black and plain, save for the visible marks. Sinedd flicked through the pages to find that it was Nemanja's journal where he stored his memories of the war. Newspaper articles, various pictures, poetry, songs, nearly every memoir of his from the war. The articles were about Nemanja and his squad as they preformed heroic deeds and the pictures were of his comrades and war buddies. Sinedd even spotted a picture of a general whom resembled Artegor. The poetry was about Nemanja's feelings was the war progressed. As Sinedd flickered through the pages and as he knew more and more about the horrors of the war through Nemanja's eyes, Sinedd was both shocked and interested to look on. Towards the final pages, he spotted a picture of a teenage girl. She was beautiful. She had attractive shoulder length light brown hair with ice-blue eyes that had a spiral pattern. Her unblemished face was delicate like a flower in springtime. The girl reminded him of Tia. The words "I'll always miss you Rebecca….through the good times and the bad….." were scrawled underneath the picture. Sinedd guessed that Rebecca was a close friend of Nemanja's, maybe a girlfriend. On the last page, there was another newspaper article. The words "Devastation as enemy soldiers slaughter 17 civilians" were big and in bold letters. A picture showed dead civilians lying around on the street. Rebecca was among those deceased. Closing the book and placing it back where it was; Sinedd covered his mouth with his hand in disbelief. _"Damn…"_ whispered Sinedd as he clutched his still wet hair in utter shock. Remembering that he still wasn't ready, Sinedd put on a dark shirt and a jacket. "Where did Nemanja go?" Sinedd asked himself as he sat down on his own bed. He hadn't seen the stoical ex-soldier since training.

After 15 minutes, Nemanja finally returned. "Hey." said Nemanja as he casually walked in. "Where were you?" asked Sinedd as he got up from his bed. "I had to get some air." said Nemanja, dodging the question in a sense. As Sinedd could see, Nemanja was already prepared to go out. Nemanja was wearing a black pinstripe suit with a white floral shirt and no tie. He also had a small shamrock necklace around his neck. "Nice suit. Casual yet formal." commented Sinedd. "Let's go." said Nemanja and they both left their rooms to proceed to the elevator. "So, where are we going?" asked Nemanja. "We're going to meet Tia somewhere then we'll go to a bar." replied Sinedd. "Don't get too drunk Sinedd. We've got a match tomorrow." advised Nemanja. "Heh, I bet you can't handle a drink." nudged Sinedd. "You'll see." replied Nemanja.

* * *

Mei and Tia were finally ready to go. Both of them looked glamorous and ready for a night out. "Wow! We should be on the cover of some magazine." said Mei, checking herself out in the mirror. "We should get going." said Tia and both of them left their room. Micro-Ice and Yuki saw Mei and Tia dressed so elegantly. Micro-Ice's jaw practically dropped to the ground while Yuki felt rather jealous. Noticing that Micro-Ice's eyes were practically glued to them, Yuki sternly looked at Micro-Ice. The two girls pressed the button to call for the elevator. "Where are you two going?" asked a voice. They both turned around to see D'Jok with a look of suspicion. "We're just going for a night out." replied Tia. D'Jok felt really suspicious as both of them were dressed beautifully, especially Mei. "D'Jok, we're going to go for a drink in a bar or a club. I'll see you later." said Mei, kissing D'Jok on the lips before getting into the elevator with Tia. As soon as the doors closed, D'Jok turned around and stormed pass Micro-Ice and Yuki. _"Something doesn't feel right…I should follow them…" _thought D'Jok.

* * *

While Sinedd and Nemanja were walking to where they were to meet Tia, Sinedd kept glancing at Nemanja. He kept thinking about the journal. Neither of them had said very much on the way. They sat on a bench and waited for a while. Occasionally, a fan would pass and ask Sinedd for an autograph. It wasn't yet known that Nemanja was the new striker to replace Nilla or that Sinedd was the new captain. A long 20 minutes passed and Nemanja stood up. Tia and Mei had arrived. Sinedd was knocked back as Tia took his breath away. "Hi." said Tia timidly. Sinedd couldn't say anything, he kept staring at Tia. Mei looked at Nemanja and examined him. _"Wow….this guy is built…there's something…strange about him though." _thought Mei but she still managed to shake Nemanja's hand. "I'm Mei and this is Tia." introduced Mei so as not to come off as rude. "I'm Nemanja." replied Nemanja with a bow. Sinedd had turned over to Mei and he tried his best not to glare. Though he promised Tia to be nice to her teammates, he still had a lingering dislike for Mei. At least, for now. Mei however, held nothing back as she glowered at him. "Still haven't dropped dead yet, Sinedd?" commented Mei. "Nice to see you too, Mei." said Sinedd sarcastically. "Shall we go?" asked Tia and the four set off to the bar which was not far. Sinedd and Tia were engaged in their conversation while Nemanja and Mei didn't say very much for different reasons. "I see you hate Sinedd." said Nemanja, breaking the silence between the two. "That's an understatement. I bet you're just as bad as him." replied Mei, rolling her eyes. "There's more to me then meets the eye." said Nemanja. "I can already tell you're an arrogant idiot who thinks he is better then everyone else." said Mei. "This coming from some diva that spends more time doing stupid adverts then focusing on football? Pathetic." insulted Nemanja and Mei was already annoyed enough at Nemanja to not say anything.

* * *

They arrived at a bar called 'Harlequin'. It was a classy place with the floors glowing neon green. Harlequin was quite the popular bar among those who come to Genesis. It was often so crowded, it seemed more crowded then Genesis Stadium but taking into account its size, it was quite spacious as people often spent their time on the dance floor. "Let's get a table." said Sinedd and they got a table in the quieter part of Harlequin. Sinedd sat down next to Tia and they kept glancing at each other awkwardly while Mei was annoyed of having to sit across her boyfriend's rival and next to a stranger whom she already dislikes. "I'll get the drinks." said Mei and after seeing what everyone wanted, she left quickly. Nemanja also left so that Sinedd and Tia could have some alone time. It was obvious to him that they both liked each other but they wouldn't admit it. Nemanja and Mei were over at the bar. "What do you want?" asked Mei as she rolled her eyes. "I just left so that Sinedd and Tia could be alone. They clearly have feelings for each other." said Nemanja. "I know. Sinedd doesn't deserve Tia. Tia is too good for a guy like him." said Mei. "You really don't know much about Sinedd, just like how you don't know very much about me. You shouldn't judge someone on first impressions." advised Nemanja. "Whatever! I don't need a guy like you to tell me what I should and shouldn't do!" said Mei as she attracted attention from a few people.

"This isn't really my scene." said Tia nervously. "It's not mine either. Maybe both of us should leave after a few drinks." said Sinedd. "But what about Mei and Nemanja?" asked Tia. "Nemanja won't mind. As for Mei…" said Sinedd and before he could complete the sentence, Mei and Nemanja returned with the drinks. Tia had an 'Akillian Snowstorm', a cocktail known for its cold and bitter taste; Sinedd and Nemanja had a glass of 'Shamrock Oak', a whisky popular in the planet of Canderon for its sweet and strong taste and its rare ingredient and Mei had the strongest drink out of the four, 'Venom Mark III' which got its name for its heavy alcohol content and its dark green colour. "Isn't that drink too strong for you?" Sinedd pointed out as Mei was already drifting away from a state of soberness though she wasn't quite drunk yet. "Shut up! I don't need you or…or Nemanja telling me what to drink…" said Mei as she drifted around slightly. "Can't handle a drink?" taunted Sinedd and Mei stood up. "I'm going to get another one…then I'll prove that I can handle a drink better then you." slurred Mei before walking back to the bar. "I'll take care of her later when you two leave." said Nemanja. _"How did he…?" _thought Tia as she turned to Sinedd. Nemanja had quickly downed his glass of Shamrock Oak and was going to get another. "How did you finish that in one go?" asked Tia curiously. "I've got a cast-iron stomach. During the war, we often ate or drank things that didn't taste very good. Of course, it was better then nothing." replied Nemanja. Tia was confused when he mentioned the word 'war'. At first, she thought Nemanja was part of the flux war but that was very long ago and Nemanja was around her age. Apart from that war, she couldn't remember any other war that happened within the past few years.

Mei had returned with several more drinks. Mei had handed Sinedd a glass of 'Nitrous Venom' which was similar to Venom Mark III. "Why are you giving me this?" asked Sinedd. "I bet…You'll be drunker then I when we both drink a glass of Nitrous Venom in one go…" slurred Mei. "Look at you. You're already drunk. I mean, even the Xenons steer clear of Venom Mark III _and_ Nitrous Venom." said Sinedd but regardless, they both took their glasses. "This isn't a good idea guys." warned Tia but Sinedd and Mei counted to three before downing their glasses. Sinedd was no longer as sober as he was before but wasn't too drunk. Mei however, was more drunk then him. Venom Mark III and Nitrous Venom together was enough for a Xenon or a Ryker but the two drinks together was not made for human consumption. After the four had a few rounds of drinks, Sinedd and Tia were both relatively drunk enough to be more laidback but not enough to be collapsing every few seconds; Nemanja barely even touched any alcohol so as to be in great condition for tomorrows match and Mei was so drunk that she had next to no control of herself. She was giggling drunkenly and flirting with Nemanja drunkenly though Nemanja just shrugged off her advances. "You two should go. I'll take care of Mei and besides, you two should have some alone together." said Nemanja. Before Sinedd or Tia could say anything like "We're just friends", Nemanja practically rushed them out the door and turned his attention to Mei who was clinging onto him this whole time. "Where should we go?" asked Tia and Sinedd glanced around for a moment. "Follow me." said Sinedd and they both went off in one direction. They walked past a huge line waiting outside of Harlequins and Tia could've sworn she saw D'Jok whom didn't seem to notice her.

* * *

"Let's dance." giggled Mei who took Nemanja's hand and guided him to the dance floor. Dancing was one thing Nemanja knew little about but he just danced like everyone else and was fine. Mei surprisingly had some control in her dancing movements despite being drunk. However, she had no control over her other actions. "You're a good dancer Nemanja." flirted Mei as she got closer. "Erm, thanks." replied Nemanja. "And you're so built as well." giggled Mei as she caressed Nemanja's arms. With that, she moved her face closer to Nemanja's and kissed his lips. Nemanja didn't feel anything emotionally while Mei was enjoying it, however drunk she was. "Mei?!" said D'Jok as he was outraged by his girlfriend's apparent betrayal. Mei had released herself from Nemanja and turned to her boyfriend. "Hey D'Jok!" giggled Mei as she threw herself onto D'Jok as though nothing happened between Mei and Nemanja. "Why are you with _my _girlfriend?!" said D'Jok in anger as he felt angry enough to punch this stranger. "I'm making sure she doesn't end up on the streets tomorrow by taking care of her." replied Nemanja serenely. "By taking advantage of her? You really are a scumbag aren't you?" growled D'Jok as he grabbed Nemanja by the collar. Though Nemanja was taller and was more muscular then the captain, D'Jok was still quite tough and was adamant that he could take him on. Nemanja grabbed D'Jok's hand and took it off his collar. "Here's a suggestion. Take your girlfriend back to your hotel and forget about all this. Your girlfriend won't remember this tomorrow so I recommend you forget as well." said Nemanja calmly. It was pissing off D'Jok how Nemanja was all calm and serene while D'Jok felt like he could explode. "Where's Tia and that idiot S-Sinedd with my…my drink?!" slurred Mei. D'Jok suddenly remembered that Tia wasn't with Mei at this time. "Where did that moron Sinedd take Tia?" growled D'Jok. "My friend, Sinedd took Tia out of the club while I said I would take care of Mei." replied Nemanja. "Your friends with Sinedd? No wonder I thought you and him were similar. You're both scum!" howled D'Jok. He launched his fist and smacked Nemanja across the face. A small bruise appeared on his face and a drop of blood fell down from his mouth. "This is no need for this. You can leave unharmed. Or, you can try that again and end up regretting it." said Nemanja, almost unintentionally taunting D'Jok. "What?! I'm going to make you take back those words!" growled D'Jok and he attempted to punch Nemanja but his punch was blocked. "You're too angry. Anger clouds your judgement." said Nemanja wisely. He seriously did not wish for an unnecessary fight as one war was enough of a fight to last him a lifetime. He fought in the war young, reckless and angry like every other young man in his platoon and came out of the war with a different perspective of everything. D'Jok attempted to punch Nemanja with his other hand and this time, the ex-soldier countered with a single punch to the stomach. D'Jok fell to his knees, severely winded and coughing while Mei, gaining little consciousness up until now, helped D'Jok however she could. Three burly bouncers, one robotic and two humans all dressed in dark-coloured suits, came to break up the crowd that surrounded them and was about to escort Nemanja out of the premises. "Don't worry. I am leaving." said Nemanja, walking away from the scene. Many of the bystanders were wondering who the mysterious person was. "It's…ok, D'Jok." comforted Mei while D'Jok almost felt like he did when he ran into Kernor years ago. She kept glancing at Nemanja as he walked on. Not out of anger but maybe out of love. She loved D'Jok with all her heart but when she kissed Nemanja, even though she was drunk, she still felt something. A spark. Her heart kept racing like it was now. Her heart was stolen by a mysterious person.

* * *

Sinedd and Tia were lying down under a tree together, watching the many stars shine like crystals. They were at the very place their friendship first started. Sinedd did not collapse once in pain like he did before. As Sinedd and Tia were more comfortable with each other and because they were alone, they talked about all sorts of things. They shared stories of their life with each other, both good and bad stories. They got to know each other a lot more within the capacity of nearly an hour. Tia had asked Sinedd about Nemanja and why he was so calm and together. "He was in the Canderon Civil War a few years ago. He told me that the war changed his life completely, that Nemanja was no longer the person he used to be. To be honest, I envy how he can be calm and collected all the time." said Sinedd. Tia just smiled as she looked at Sinedd. The light from the stars made Sinedd seem even more beautiful. The light made him seem more ambient and made him look so gallant, it seemed both real and unreal. His violet eyes looked so beautiful, it was hard to tell whether the stars could compare. Tia rested her head on Sinedd's shoulders. _"Now I know for certain…I truly do love him…" _thought Tia. Sinedd looked at Tia with a slight smile. The lights from the stars made her look like the personification of beauty and innocence. _"Now I know…I truly do love her…and she loves me back…" _thought Sinedd. Sinedd put her arm around Tia and Tia looked up for a moment. She proceeded to move her head and rested it on his broad chest. "Sinedd." whispered Tia. "Hm?" whispered Sinedd. "I…I think I love you." whispered Tia and Sinedd had said nothing for a moment. _"Oh God…Maybe I shouldn't have told him…Maybe I moved too fast…After all, we only just became friends…"_ thought Tia. Tia shuffled up from his chest to his head. "Sinedd?" asked Tia as she started to get worried about him not saying anything. "Tia." began Sinedd. Before Tia could reply, Sinedd had kissed Tia. The kiss was the sweetest kiss ever for both Sinedd and Tia. Not wanting to break away, Sinedd slid his arms around her while Tia had slid her arms around his neck and stroked his tender hair. Their lips were locked together and their tongues were slowly but passionately sliding against each other. Tia kept letting out slight moans. Sinedd slowly leaned backwards until he was lying on the forest-green grass while Tia leaned forward. Their tongues slowly started to move faster while Tia was now on top of Sinedd. _"Don't stop…" _whispered Tia as their tongues moved faster against each other. A night to remember had started to end with a night of passion as Sinedd and Tia were so overcome with their love for each other, they didn't want to let go and they wanted time to stop so that this romantic moment did not have to end.

* * *

Nemanja was back in his hotel room, looking at Genesis from the balcony. He stared at the many buildings and the many advertisements that seemed to be virtually everywhere. "Don't miss tomorrows match! The awesome Shadows against the mighty Lightnings!" announced an advertisement. Tomorrow was indeed the match and Nemanja's first match in the GFC. It was his desire to play in the GFC and soon, his desire will be fulfilled. _"I will play and help the Shadows win." _thought Nemanja. He shoved some pills into his mouth and swallowed them before going back into the hotel room for some sleep.

* * *

Tomorrow is finally the Shadows vs Lightnings match! Who will win? Can Sinedd lead the Shadows to victory? Can Nemanja prove his worth in his first ever Galactik Football Cup match? Now that Sinedd and Tia finally admitted their love for each other, can they make it work? Where has Rocket been up until now? Has Mei truly fallen in love with Nemanja? Find out in chapter 6, coming soon!

Ah finally, chapter 5. It's been over a month since the last chapter, I apologise for that. I've been busy with school since two weeks ago and year 10 really keeps you busy. Fear not, I'll still be able to write fanfictions in my spare time, I'll just do it at my own pace as usual XD. Please keep those reviews coming in! For the record, _it_ didn't happen between Sinedd and Tia, if you get my drift.


	6. Chapter 6: Shadowed Lightning

The Angel and The Shadow

Chapter 6: Shadowed Lightning

Sinedd had opened his eyes and was almost blinded by the artificial sunlight. His mind was hazy and foggy. A slight hangover had almost immediately entered his mind. It didn't take him long to figure out where he was, why he was there and what happened last night. Tia's head was resting on Sinedd's chest as she slept peacefully, undisturbed by the sounds of birds singing. Being careful to not wake her up, he lifted Tia's head off his chest and delicately placed her head on the soft dewy grass. As Sinedd stood up, his head felt as though it had been kicked in several times. There was no doubt that it was an after-effect of their drunkenness. Sinedd's shirt was half unbuttoned, his jacket was draped around Tia and his hair was scruffy. The striker had turned over to his new love and though her hair was also scruffy, she still looked like a pure angel. The artificial sunlight had shone down brightly on her and she looked so much like an angel that fell from heaven, it was quite strange but beautiful.

Sinedd looked up at the sky. Though it was really just an illusion from a machine to make the area seem a lot more real, it was still magnificent. It wasn't quite the real thing though. Sinedd had remembered Nemanja telling him about the skies of Canderon. He had told Sinedd in so much detail, he felt like he could see it. The glaring red sunrise, the amber sunset, the carefree clouds, the shadow night sky. One day, Sinedd wanted to visit Canderon with Nemanja but the ex-soldier was still reluctant to return to his war-torn homeland anytime soon. Sinedd had sat down on the lime-green grass as his hangover lingered. "I shouldn't have drunk so much…" sighed Sinedd. Glancing at his watch, there was still quite a bit of time before he would have to get back for preparation in today's match. Artegor would be angry if he found out that Sinedd didn't get an early night but Sinedd didn't care very much about that. He was more concerned about Tia and Nemanja. His friend was saddled with a drunken Mei last night and wondered if Nemanja was ok. Mei was enough of an annoyance – in Sinedd's opinion – while she was sober. If she was drunk, it'd probably ten times worse. Tia, he'd have to escort her back to her hotel in a minute as he really couldn't let her make her own way back.

Sinedd's violet eyes closed as they rested for a moment. "Tired?" asked a playful voice. Sinedd opened his eyes slowly, recognising the voice. His eyes had met with Tia's as she playfully giggled. "Not so much tired. Just a hangover…" sighed Sinedd. "Awww." replied Tia, kissing Sinedd on the lips. "I would've thought you would have a hangover too." commented Sinedd, lying back to watch the clouds and to rest a bit. "Nope, I'm fine." replied Tia cheerfully as she laid her head on Sinedd's chest, remembering the heartbeat that she heard last night. "Shouldn't you be getting back? Isn't today the match against the Lightnings?" asked Tia. "Yeah…I'll go in a minute." sighed Sinedd. "No, you need to go now." said Tia sternly as she got up. Sinedd got up and clutched his head as his head throbbed with pain for a moment. "Sinedd? Is _it _happening again?" asked Tia with the utmost concern. "No…it's just the hangover…" said Sinedd, half-lying. Though it was mostly the hangover, the smog had caused a small surge of pain, much smaller then the ones before. Yet, the fact that it was still occurring was troubling Sinedd. He tried his best not to concern Tia. "Let's just go." said Sinedd quickly and they both left. During the walk to Tia's hotel, Sinedd had barely said a word. Though Sinedd told her it was just the hangover, she wasn't convinced. However, she couldn't bring herself to ask him yet.

"Well, here we are." said Tia finally as they both were outside Tia's hotel. "Good luck in the match" said Tia, kissing Sinedd before taking a few steps towards the door. She turned back to wave to him before going inside. Sinedd started walking to his hotel, clutching his head every few minutes. Luckily, there weren't many people around to notice but Sinedd still proceeded as quickly as he could. Barely noticing where he was going, Sinedd was now on the Shadows floor of his hotel. No-one seemed to be awake yet as he noticed. He quickly but quietly walked into his room. To his surprise, Nemanja was lifting two dumbbells. His grey shirt was soaked with sweat. "Nemanja?" asked Sinedd as he stumbled in. Dropping the dumbbells lightly on the maroon-red carpet and wiping the sweat away from his forehead, the war veteran turned around. "Sinedd? Your back." said Nemanja. Sinedd stumbled over to his bed and sighed. "The hangover kicked in?" asked Nemanja, already knowing the answer and handing him some grey pills which smelt herbal. "They help with hangovers. The herbs smell a bit strong but they don't take long to take effect." advised Nemanja wisely as he also handed him his green and white water bottle. The strong and sharp smell made Sinedd cringe slightly so he swallowed the pill quickly. Washing down the taste with water, Sinedd laid down to rest. "Rest yourself and let the pills cleanse yourself of yesterday's alcohol." said Nemanja, continuing his rigorous workout while Sinedd rested off his fatigue.

* * *

"Mei?" asked Tia as she saw her friend standing outside the balcony. The defender had a sad smile on her face but a dreamy gaze in her eyes, like she was daydreaming about something. "Mei?" repeated Tia as she placed her hand on her shoulder. "Huh? Oh, hey Tia." said Mei finally, breaking out of her dream. "You didn't come back last night. Where did you go?". "I was with Sinedd." said Tia simply. Mei averted Tia's gaze so that her rolling her eyes would go unnoticed. "Did you and Nemanja have a good time last night at the bar?" asked Tia. Mei suddenly walked away to avoid the question and Tia was left dumbfounded.

* * *

Micro-Ice woke up to find D'Jok's bed all messed up. "So he got back…" yawned Micro-Ice. The joker scratched his head and walked over to the bathroom to find D'Jok putting bandages around his toned stomach. "Woah! Where'd you get that bruise?" asked Micro-Ice, going from tired to far from it in a second. "Never you mind." replied D'Jok bitterly. "C'mon! It can't be that bad! Did ya get into a fight and lose?" badgered Micro-Ice and the bitter red-head snapped. "Leave me alone!" snapped D'Jok. "Alright alright…" said Micro-Ice and he backed off immediately. "I'm sorry Micro-Ice. I got into a fight yesterday at a bar. I caught one of Sinedd's friends kissing Mei who was drunk like hell." replied D'Jok. "Heh, I hope you kicked the living daylights out of him!" eagerly said Micro-Ice as he started doing exaggerated kung-fu noises and moves. "After all, any friend of Sinedd's must be an idiot." remarked Micro-Ice, putting his hands behind his head. D'Jok lowered his head. "Well, the Shadows Vs Lightnings match is on later today. Apparently, the Shadows have got a new player or something." shrugged Micro-Ice, changing the subject as yesterday was clearly not a good night for D'Jok. "A new player for the Shadows? Warren and his Lightnings will still crush Sinedd and his Shadows" smirked the Captain.

* * *

Sinedd woke up a while later and found that his hangover had washed away. He felt like he had just woken up from a deep and relaxing sleep. "Wow, your pills really work." said Sinedd to a Nemanja who was cooling down from his vigorous workout. "Yeah. Don't take them too often whenever you get drunk though. Messes up your body." warned Nemanja. At that moment, a knock on the door was heard. "Come in." said Nemanja. The doors opened to reveal Artegor. For Sinedd, it was unusual for him to knock. Usually, he just came into anyone's room without an invitation. "I trust you two are ready for today's match. Sinedd? Nemanja?" asked Artegor. Both of them nodded. "Report to training in a few minutes." said Artegor and he left them to it. Nemanja had grabbed the book that Sinedd had seen earlier. Though it was barely visible, the words "Andriy/Nemanja" were written in small, Canderonion letters on the front cover. Though both are his names, he had chosen to be more known as Nemanja. Nemanja was the name he was known as to his comrades, Nemanja was the name that held many of his war memories. Whether he could ever let go of these memories and use his birth name again, he would never know. That's why the newspaper articles and the written notes from his comrades refer to him as "Nemanja" and not "Andriy". Sinedd observed Nemanja's actions. "Nemanja? What's up?" asked Sinedd. "Sorry…I was just looking at my book. Brings back memories every time I look at it." replied Andriy/Nemanja as he placed the book on his bed. A silence had occurred for a minute. "I'm going to training. See you in a bit." said Nemanja, placing his hand on Sinedd's shoulder before leaving. Sinedd turned his head to the old book as soon as Nemanja left and could see some small unrecognisable writing which he had previously not seen. Paying attention to said writing, he took off his clothes and put in his new Shadows kit for the first time, with the green on the kit replaced with red. Just putting on the captain's kit felt great. Sure it wasn't that different to his old kit but actually getting to be captain on the field was still great. What the kit represented made Sinedd feel good inside.

* * *

_A few hours later……_

This was it. The Shadows were in the locker room, warming up and getting any last words from Artegor, whom had yet to arrive, before the match against the Lightnings. Andriy/Nemanja was feeling the adrenaline already. The kind that all players before their first match. He felt like he had to go out and play a great game to impress the audience. "Your first GFC match. How do you feel?" asked Sinedd as he did a few stretches. "I'm feeling the adrenaline. How about you? It's your first GFC match _as _the captain." replied Andriy who was stretching his arms. "I feel nervous." sighed Sinedd. "Well, it's time for you to lead on….captain." said Nemanja as he smiled. "What if I can't do it Nemanja?" asked Sinedd as an expression of anxiety appeared on his face. _"Should I let him know? Maybe it is time for me to let go of 'Nemanja', the person I was in the war and become Andriy again, the guy I was before the war? Maybe after the match…." _thought Nemanja. "You'll be fine. Just lead the team like you've been doing it for your whole life. We're here to help you." comforted the veteran. "Thanks Nemanja. Where is Artegor? The match is due to start in a while" asked Sinedd as he looked around.

* * *

Micro-Ice was laying on his bed, still in his sleepwear. He had a bowl of sweet popcorn in one hand and a glass of cola on the other. The TV was on. Micro-Ice was waiting for the match to start but, like with every GFC match, Arkadia News started before the match and even that hadn't started yet. His best friend had walked in. "D'Jok? Where were you? It's almost starting." said Micro-Iced while munching some popcorn. "I was asking Dame Simbai to check on my bruise. She said it would go away in a few days and it won't affect me playing football. Also, why haven't you changed yet? Its afternoon!" nagged D'Jok, lying on his bed. "You're not my mother! Stop nagging me!" joked Micro-Ice as he threw some popcorn at his friend. "Quiet Micro-Ice, its going to start in a minute." said D'Jok as he quickly turned his attention to the TV.

* * *

"_This is Arkadia News, news that spans the galaxy"_

"Hello viewers! It is your two favourite sports commentators here as always, Nork Agnet and Callie Mystic. Today is the semi-final match of the titans. The awesome Shadows vs. The Mighty Lightnings. Callie, who would you, put your money on?" asked Nork. "Well Nork, both teams are evenly matched. Warren and Sinedd are two excellent strikers that stand out. Sinedd is an excellent player and at such a young age, he has already been given the captain's position. That's right viewers; Artegor has appointed Sinedd as the new captain after the previous captain, midfielder Nilla, was released. With this in mind, this match will be one for the ages!" said Callie in her signature enthusiasm. "That's not all. Artegor has found a young striker to replace Nilla. A Canderonion named Andriy or Nemanja, whatever you want to call him." commented Nork. "Andriy signed onto the Shadows very recently. He is a war veteran who hails from Canderon, a planet which was torn by the recent Canderon Civil War. Before the civil war, the planet fielded a team known as 'The Canderon Skulls.' The Canderon Skulls were quite the team with two Galactik Cups to their name. In their last GFC match, they lost to the Rykers in the semi-finals 1-0 after a controversial penalty. Whether or not Canderon will ever field a team for a while is yet to be known." said Callie. "A training video has been given to us by Artegor Nexus. With this video in mind, I think the Shadows have a perfect duo to win this match. Watch the videos for yourselves." said Nork.

* * *

The video started by showing Andriy doing some kick-ups. Passion and skill was flowing around him as he pulled off some excellent kick-ups. "I can do better then he can!" boasted Micro-Ice. _"Him! The guy from the bar! So his name is Andriy…" _thought D'Jok, unaware that he said those words out loud. "_He's_ the guy that beat you up? That guy is built like Warren! Of course, not compared to me…." boasted Micro-Ice. The video then shifted to the Shadows playing against some clones. "Sinedd! In the air!" shouted Andriy. Sinedd had flicked the ball up over a defender clone and Andriy appeared quicker then the blink of an eye, surrounded by the Smog. Andriy smashed the ball into the right corner of the net with his left foot while the clone goalkeeper stood oblivious. The video ended shortly after a few more shots of Andriy and Sinedd showing their playmaking skills.

"Wow! Andriy was on fire in that video! With a player like that and a duo like Andriy and Sinedd, this is one match that'll make history!" shouted Callie. "It sure is Callie. Stay tuned viewers for the match will be on soon. Don't go anywhere." said Nork and the advertisements came on. "Wow…Andriy is quite good…D'you think we can take him?" asked Micro-Ice. "We won't have to. Warren is still better then those bastards." smirked D'Jok.

* * *

In Mei and Tia's room, both of them were watching the same channel as well. Tia noticed Mei looking bleak again. "Mei? What's wrong? You've been ever so quiet since last night." said Tia, walking over to Mei's bed. The defender merely looked away. "Please tell me." asked Tia sincerely. "Me and Nemanja…or Andriy, we…kissed." muttered Mei quietly. "What?! But you and D'Jok are…" said Tia before being cut off. "I _know. _I was so drunk, I didn't realise what I did until it was too late. It was my fault that D'Jok got beaten up. The thing is, when me and Andriy kissed, I felt a connection….I love D'Jok with all my heart but that kiss made me think that…maybe D'Jok isn't the one for me…Maybe its Andriy…" said Mei as tears flowed down her cheeks. "You're just confused Mei. You and D'Jok were meant for each other. You shouldn't break a perfect relationship!" pleaded Tia. "I don't know…. I need to think. The match is going to start." dismissed Mei and Tia stubbornly walked back to her bed.

* * *

"So, everyone clear on the game-plan? Everyone focuses on defence apart from Sinedd and Nemanja." said Artegor in a tone that once again reminded Andriy of his general. Andriy had put his hand up and Artegor had let him talk. "Actually, I would now prefer it if everyone will call me by my birth name, Andriy. Nemanja is my middle name which I have used over the years." said Andriy and Sinedd had looked at him with a surprised look. "Ok then Andriy, I don't really care either way. Anyway, have you all got that?" asked Artegor and the Shadows all nodded. "Good, now get ready to win!" said Artegor before leaving to go to his post. As the Shadows walked through the lobby leading where they're meant to go, Sinedd had asked him about his name. "So, are you Andriy or Nemanja?" asked Sinedd. "Both. Andriy is my birth name and Nemanja is my middle name which I used in the war." replied the ex-soldier casually like it didn't matter. "When were you going to tell me?" asked Sinedd, sounding like it was wrong for Andriy to not tell him sooner. "I was going to as soon as I decided. Nemanja is the name that holds many of my war memories and letting go is hard. It maybe just a name to you but to me…it's more then that…" sighed Andriy. "Don't worry friend, I understand." said Sinedd, putting his hand of Andriy's shoulder.

* * *

"And, we are back! Viewers, it is time for the semi-match of the ages! One that will go down in the history of Galactik Football!" shouted Callie. "Coming out now are the Lightnings! Look at them; they look like they've been training hard for this. And on the other end, here comes the formidable Shadows! They also seem to be in top shape! Especially Andriy and their captain, Sinedd!" said Nork. "Hmph, I'm a way better captain then Sinedd." muttered D'Jok. The crowd roared immensely. Many of them were wearing and flashing the colours of both teams. Andriy looked around at the crowd and cheered. He was determined to show them his skill. Both of teams got off their floating platforms and the two captains of either side approached each other in the centre. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Rocket. You think you will crush us but I'll make sure we beat you. Even if you have a new player." glared Warren, still maintaining his professional sportsmanship tone. "Good luck to you too, Warren." smirked Sinedd. To the burly Lightnings players' surprise, Sinedd had stuck his hand out for a handshake. Reluctantly, he shook his hand. "Ah, a good example of good sportsmanship." commented Nork. "C'mon Warren, destroy him!" taunted Micro-Ice as he jumped up from his bed.

Sinedd and Andriy both got into their positions, looking at each other once to nod. "Remember. Anything short of a crushing win is unacceptable!" said Artegor, putting even more pressure on them. _"They better pull off a win…Otherwise; all this planning to humiliate Aarch's team will be for nought." _thought Artegor, being unusually nervous in his mind. "And let the match begin!" shouted Callie. The ball shot up like a cannonball and both captains, charged with their flux, leaped high into the air and contested for the ball. Their fluxes mixed together and a large flux field formed around them. "Wow! I felt that from over here!" laughed Nork. A flash of light appeared for a split second and both strikers went back down. Warren charged off with the ball while Sinedd growled before chasing after him. A Shadows midfielder had ran to try and slide-tackle him but Warren leaped over him with the ball. Unfortunately for him, another Shadows midfielder took the ball while he leaped over and disappeared in a puff of smog before Warren was able to retaliate in time. "Garrick! To me!" commanded Sinedd. Garrick dodged a Lightnings player and did a high pass to Sinedd. Sinedd had chested the ball and ran out of their side of the pitch, into the Lightnings side. "Andriy! Yuma!" commanded Sinedd and the two got into position on opposite wings of the pitch while running with Sinedd. The defenders were marking Andriy and Yuma so passing to either of them would risk possession. With a hand gesture, he told Yuma to get back and Andriy to rush into the penalty box. The ex-soldier sprinted into the box, barely losing the defender. Flicking the ball into the air, Andriy surrounded himself with the smog and bicycle-kicked the ball. "Will I go in?" asked Callie as the tension was already high. The ball was about to curve into the goal when Warren blocked the shot with his chest. "Denied by Warren! He's really determined to see this through!" shouted Callie.

* * *

"Yeah Warren! You can do it!" cheered D'Jok rather aggressively.

* * *

Warren charged down the field once again, leaving the defenders in his dust. His teammates called for the ball. _"I have to see this win through…" _thought Warren, ignoring his teammates calls. "Looks like Warren is a one-man team today Callie!" joked Nork. With his right foot, Warren shot the ball towards the goal from outside the penalty box. The ball, crackling with Warren's flux, was blocked by Andriy's leg. "That certainly didn't faze Andriy!" laughed Callie. Andriy gave him a stoical look before lobbing it out of the box. "That was certainly impressive on Andriy's side. Not so much on Warren." commented Nork.

* * *

"Wow….Andriy is really good." said Tia, remembering her first GFC cup match. Mei just sat there with her icy look, watching Andriy. A mixture of love, lust and hate summed up her emotions.

* * *

Sinedd charged down the wings with only Andriy to back him up. The others _had _to focus on defence or risk conceding a goal. Of course, only he and Andriy was enough. With the ball between his feet, he used the smog to evade and disorient a Lightnings midfielder before casually flicking it to Andriy who wasted no time in accelerating towards the box. Warren was charging towards him, no doubt trying to stop him again. This time, Andriy ran head-on towards him. A split second was what separated Andriy's next move from a head-on collision. He flicked the ball over him and used Warren's shoulder as a springboard. Andriy smashed the ball towards the left side of the goal. Warren looked on helplessly while Sinedd looked hopeful. The ball curved into the post and left the goalpost with a huge dent while the Lightnings goalkeeper looked relieved. "I wouldn't like to be caught on the wrong end of that shot!" commented Callie. "That was good Andriy! We'll get them next time!" said Sinedd, patting him on the back before getting into position.

* * *

"That was close Andriy. Good playmaking there, Sinedd. Next time though, score a goal!" shouted Artegor. "What's wrong with Warren? He's not leading the team as well as he should!" criticised D'Jok.

* * *

Yuma ran up the middle of the field with two Lightning players hot on his tail. He passed the ball to Andriy who ran to the outer left-side of the penalty box. Andriy crossed the ball into the box and both Sinedd and the goalkeeper leapt into the air. It was a high cross and the two players were locked in their own battle while the others were just spectators. "You can do it Sinedd!" shouted Andriy. A flux field appeared for a short moment and the ball went out of play while the two players dropped down to the ground. "It's hard to tell if it is a corner or a goal kick. Let's watch the video on slow motion." said Callie. The video showed that the Lightnings goalkeeper had the last touch before it went out of play. Moments later, Sinedd was at the right corner flag with the ball, preparing to take his corner. Andriy, Yuma and Garrick were in the box, marked by several Lightnings players while Kylus was waiting outside. He took heavy breaths to calm him down as his heart was beating quickly. Tension was heavy. Sinedd looked at several of his teammates, jumping around and calling for the ball. There were many choices to make. And any one of them could be the wrong one.

* * *

What will Sinedd do? Can the Shadows seize a goal before the end of the first half? Can the Lightnings keep their defense up? Can Warren fulfill the 'promise' he made to beat Sinedd? Will Mei leave D'Jok for Andriy? What is Artegor planning in the shadows? Finally, where has Rocket been? Find out in Chapter 7!

Thanks for reading! If you're reading, can you please review? Please please, review. It lets me know that readers are still interested and want the next chapter to happen. It lets me know what readers like and don't like, it also gives me ideas and all that jazz. I apologise for taking two months (Or so) to write this. I've been really busy with school, GCSE keeps you really busy, trust me.


	7. Chapter 7: Our Destiny

**A/N: Yep, it's Purpose! Back from the dead, or so it would seem. How overdue is this chapter? A year at least haha. But I'm back. I dunno when the next chapter will be released but I hope it won't be a year lol. School and all that, urgh. I haven't watched Galactik Football for a long, long time so there might be a few errors but I don't know. I see that in the number of GF stories have vastly increased in a year, wow. I've improved since I started this series about a year or so ago and this story might go differently to how I thought when I wrote chapter 6. Enjoy!**

The Angel And The Shadow

Chapter 7: Our Destiny

Sinedd took a deep breath and let the roar of the crowd fuel his adrenaline before stepping back. He ran forward and crossed the ball from the corner flag, hitting and hoping for the best. Everyone rose up as Garrick was seemed most likely to head the ball into the net until the Lightnings goalkeeper got a touch to it and punched it out of play. Warren suddenly left Kylus in his dust as he charged towards the ball. "The Lightnings are on the counter-attack!" Nork shouted as Warren went on the offensive. "Someone stop him!" Artegor commanded, showing that old habits die hard. Andriy, seeing Warren's plan, charged behind him a microsecond after Warren's dash. Soon, the two men were trying to muscle each other off the ball. "The two titans are battling it out for the ball!" The commentators were barely able to stay in their seats as the match was living up to the hype. At the half-way line, Warren only just got the better of Andriy as he muscled him off the ball and charged forward once more. "Andriy! Do something!" Artegor again showed his old self. Powered by the Charge, Warren took a shot from at least 25 yards out but the ball was travelling in unpredictable directions at great speed. The Shadows goalkeeper barely moved when the ball smacked the post and went into the net. "What an absolute beauty! Warren scores a magnificent goal to give the Lightnings the lead at the cusp of half-time! Genesis Stadium is going absolutely mad!" Nork shouted into his microphone as Genesis Stadium shook the whole station with their rapturous cheering. "Wow! Did you see that?!" Micro-Ice was jumping on his bed and trying to imitate Warren while D'Jok watched in amazement. The Lightnings players surrounded Warren and cheered with him as the Shadows shook their heads. "That was an outstanding goal from Warren but he was no doubt aided by the Shadows defensive error." Callie said as the replay started showing on TV. "Yes, while Andriy should maybe have done better, he was the only one to track back and help defend."

The half-time whistle blew and both teams went back to their changing rooms, each contrasting differently in mood. "What the hell was that about?" Artegor started barking at his team. "What happened to our defence? Complete and utter shit! Why didn't all of you get back to stop Warren? Andriy, why didn't you attempt a tackle?" Andriy just shook his head. "I would've conceded a foul or missed considering the speed we were going at." Artegor started his rambling again. "I better see a rapid improvement in our playing." After 15 minutes, both teams started making their way back to the field. "Sinedd, you better start pulling the team together like a captain or else." Sinedd smirked as his coach threatened him. They got into position and the ball shot up once more at the centre for the captains to fight for. Their fluxes fused together and an aftershock of sorts hit again. "Wow! I am still revelling from the last one." Joked Nork. Warren had won the ball once more but Andriy slide-tackled him cleanly before passing the ball wide for Garrick. "To Garrick, he's running up the left wing and is keeping the ball in possession while the Shadows players run into the box." While Sinedd and a few other Shadows players littered the penalty box, Andriy stood outside to give Garrick more options. "Garrick passes back to Andriy and the defenders are trying to dispossess him." Andriy side-stepped a Lightnings player and took a shot with the outside of his foot, only for the ball to be caught by the keeper. "Callie, this is attacking football at its best!" The goalkeeper booted the ball out to the half-way line where Kylus took the ball and started another Shadows attack. Andriy ran up the right wing, where Kylus passed a long ball. Taking a second to see inside the box, he could see Sinedd running back in, completely unmarked. Before Warren could get a crunching tackle in, Andriy cross the ball high over everyone else but Sinedd teleported high with the Smog and bicycle-kicked the ball into the net. "And Sinedd answers Warren's goal with a wonderful bicycle-kick! Nork, this isn't just living up to the hype! This is going beyond what we hoped for!" The entire Shadows team celebrated in gloating fashion, as Sinedd took a bow while Andriy 'shined' his shoes. "Some people never change." D'Jok glared, thinking that Sinedd was still the same. The Shadows captain walked past Warren with a smirk while Artegor was still barking orders. "Don't get complacent! We still have to score another goal thanks to our defending earlier!"

* * *

"That was sensational." Tia was smiling for Sinedd while Mei just rolled her eyes. "Did you see the way he celebrated that goal? He thinks he's the king. And don't get me started on Andriy…" The white-haired beauty couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Once more, the ball shot from the centre and this time, Sinedd won the ball. He fiercely charged past several Lightnings players before a static flash appeared in front of him and disappeared, along with the ball. The Lightnings player passed to another at the half-way line. "Since the last goal, the atmosphere has gone absolutely crazy. It was a great cross by the new boy but it was all about the finish. The Lightnings are keeping and passing the ball around, riling the Shadows." A Lightnings midfielder passed forward to Warren, whom shook off Yuma and Garrick by chipping the ball over them before passing. The player was about to pass the ball back to Warren, whom charged forward once more, only for Sinedd to intercept the pass. The Smog surrounded the captain and flowed through him as he made his darting run. His eyes were flaming with determination and his teeth were gritting. "Here's Sinedd, sprinting so fast, I can't keep up! Wait, what's this? Warren is charging up beside him and cleanly dispossesses the striker, before clearing the ball!" Sinedd hit the ground in anger and immediately stood up to Warren. "Don't you ever do that again!" Sinedd growled, showing the same anger that Warren witnessed in the Netherball arena. "Sinedd, the Smog is poisoning you. You need to stop before it's too late!" But the Shadows striker merely smirked at his advice and charged back to aid the defence.

* * *

"_Sinedd…It's happening to him again…."_ Fear was in Tia's eyes as she just wanted to hug him to cast away _this_ side of Sinedd's personality. She couldn't bear it when Sinedd was like this with the Smog. It's like Sinedd was a different person. Mei was about to make a remark about Sinedd until she saw the worry in her emerald green eyes. The brunette then just sighed and let it go.

* * *

The battle was at midfield, where it was seemingly a stalemate. Sinedd stood still as the smog took over him once again. The striker was gathering the Smog and the bright lights of Genesis Stadium were crumbling all around Sinedd. His eyes became a window to his bloodlust and his mind started to go.

* * *

"Mei, it's happening again!" Tia cried, witnessing her lover lose control. She felt helpless as she could only sit by and watch his pain. In the other room, D'Jok was speechless as his rival was gathering power.

* * *

"_Shut up! I can do it! I'll become the best there ever was! I'll make mom and dad proud!" _In Sinedd's mind, a child version of him was shouting the words he shouted back then. _"I'm not a loser! I'll show all of you! I'm the best! The best!" _Sinedd let out a battle cry as the Smog flowed violently around him. Sinedd ran forward and took the ball from the stalemate. He barged past the entire Lightnings defence before his shot had blunted the crossbar and went out of play. A Lightnings defender had came in with a late tackle just after Sinedd had taken the shot. A foul was about to be given in the Shadows favour when Sinedd, still 'blinded' by anger and Smog, had petulantly stomped on the defender. "Oh! What just happened? The Lightnings player had come in with a late tackle which didn't have any malice in the tackle but had felled Sinedd. The Shadows captain then retaliated with a stomp! That is not captain behaviour." Without hesitation, the machine swooped to send off Sinedd and keep him away from the game for some time. "This Lightnings player is able to play on despite the stomp on his leg. This is the side of football that we hate to see." Artegor merely smirked at Sinedd's action before turning back to the matter of the even score line. "Andriy. It's up to you now. You need to kill off the game right now…with the Smog." The striker nodded without a moments thought and got into position as the goalkeeper was about to take the free-kick deep into Lightnings territory. "The clock is counting down Nork and both teams will have to do something special to seal a ticket to the esteemed Galactik Football Cup final. One way or another, one of these magnificent teams will win that place but I must say, the attacking football both teams are playing at the moment makes this match seem like _the_ cup final." The goalkeeper took a run-up before blasting the ball back into the Shadows half. A Lightnings player got the best of a Shadows player and headed the ball to his teammate, whom then ran up field before passing to Warren. The influential Lightnings captain then took a shot, only for it to be blocked and cleared out of play by a defender. Andriy asked to stop play and brought his entire team around for a gathering. "What the? Andriy has stopped play and is now trying to rally his team." The Shadows team huddled up and the young war veteran started speaking. "Listen to me. We are gonna score and we are gonna go to the finals to win the cup! We need to rally ourselves together and fight as a team. This is our destiny! Are you with me?!" The Shadows team grunted and nodded, which Andriy took as an agreement. "Let's do it!" Andriy broke up the huddle and was barking orders at his team, while they still seemed indifferent as they would.

* * *

"Sinedd deserved to be sent off." D'Jok remarked while Micro-Ice scoffed the rest of the popcorn. As Sinedd leaned against the red glass wall, Tia couldn't help but think of the destructive path Sinedd was going down.

* * *

As the clocked ticked down to the final few minutes, Andriy stood still with Sinedd's red prison suspended high above him. He breathed deeply to try and summon the smog. Although he had called on it before, Andriy has still at a premature level of Smog. The ex-soldier looked up at the Genesis Stadium lights burning as bright as the Canderon suns. "C'mon...." Andriy could feel the Smog in his fingertips; he could feel the Flux surging through him. The Smog around him grew bigger and bigger as he called louder and louder for it. "Summon it. Embrace it." Artegor said sinisterly. Andriy suddenly let out a roar as the Smog erupted around him and up high, as far as Sinedd's 'prison'. "There's Andriy, showing us the power of the famed Smog. Could that be the impact the Shadows need to grind out this win?"

The Shadows regained possession of the ball and it fell to Artegor's secret weapon. In a burst of Smog, Andriy sprinted with the ball and started doing all kinds of step-overs and tricks to dodge and disorient the Lightnings defence. "This kid is showing us the Canderon flair that the Skulls were famed for. This could well be a match-winning moment!" Nork shouted down the microphone. Andriy penetrated the penalty box and nutmegged the Lightnings goalkeeper. He had seemingly done everything to score the match-winning goal until Warren appeared between him and the goal, powered by the Charge. The two players and their fluxes collided, setting off a blinding flash of flux. "Is that the match-winning goal?!"

* * *

"Argh, damnit!" Micro-Ice said, as the flash temporarily blinded the cameras at the stadium, which meant he too couldn't see what happened.

* * *

Both Andriy and Warren were on their knees and they both turned to the net. "GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL!" Nork and Callie shouted in unison. Andriy and the entire Shadows team ran around the field and cheered as though they won the cup. "They have done it! Andriy has fired the Shadows team into the GFC finals! Absolutely amazing! Just when we were preparing for extra time, the Shadows showed that extra bit of skill to book a ticket to the finals!" The Shadows team were jumping everywhere as they celebrated emphatically. Sinedd was released from the glass tube and joined in the celebrations while Warren was understandably disheartened. The full-time whistle blew and Genesis Stadium erupted into cheers and applause once more. Andriy walked up to Warren while the Lightnings were shaking hands with the Shadows for good sportsmanship. Both of them stared at each other before shaking each other's hand firmly. "That was a good match, Warren. A good match." Warren nodded but was too disheartened to say much. Sinedd and the Lightnings captain soon walked past each other without so much as extending their hand for a handshake.

* * *

"I can't believe they won! God, that was a fluke!" D'Jok left the room in anger and went to Mei's room. "C'mon Mei, let's go." Mei was still watching the TV screen. "I'll catch up in a second." The spiky-haired redhead left, unaware that Mei was watching Andriy and Sinedd getting interviewed by a reporter outside the changing room.

* * *

In the Shadows changing room, the atmosphere was lively as they brought the celebrations there. "We did it Sinedd, we did it." Andriy and Sinedd laughed together as they downed their sports drinks. Artegor walked into the celebrations and only said a few words. "That was a good win. We are one step closer to exacting revenge on those Snow Kids. Andriy and Sinedd, keep it up. Training starts tomorrow." The Shadows coach then walked out, without even berating Sinedd's sending-off. "Sorry for stealing the limelight from you." Andriy joked to Sinedd before leaving for a shower. The striker laughed at his joke but then just sat with his head down. Although they win, Sinedd was regretting his on-field actions and felt he let down his angel, Tia. _"Sorry Tia....."_

* * *

"Mei...." Tia's voiced sounded raspy. "What's up?" Mei replied as she got changed into one of her expensive outfits. "Seeing Sinedd on the pitch like that just made me think...I don't want to lose Sinedd the way I lost Rocket..." Mei immediately ditched her wardrobe to comfort her white-haired friend. "It's okay Tia, I'm here. You talk and I'll listen all you want." Tia started pouring her heart out to her friend and she listened. Even talking when appropriate.

* * *

_Awhile later...._

Artegor walked to a private hospital that was situated quite a distance away from the stadium. He clad a black trench coat and hat to hide his identity. He went inside the towering hospital and took the elevator up to one of the floors. The Shadows coach approached a certain room where a certain person was recovering from an injury. "How's the leg? Have the doctors been treating you as well as I have been paying them?" Artegor took off his coat and hat before sitting down. "Yeah, it's healing up, no thanks to _him_. The doctors say nothing is broken and that I can leave soon." The person on the bed readjusted him and leaned forward. "Good...Because it's time to let you in on my plan...Rocket." A sinister smirk appeared on his face.

* * *

What does Artegor intend to do with Rocket? Can the Snow Kids overcome the mighty Xenons to meet the Shadows in the final? What next for Sinedd and Tia? What next for Andriy, Mei and D'Jok? Find out in Chapter 8, coming soon!


End file.
